Bump In The Night
by cgal120
Summary: The tale of the Autumn Witch was thought to be just a tale from their childhoods. But, when Arthur's 16th birthday arrives they'll soon discover some urban legends are truer than they appear. Rated M. Horror/Romance/Humour and more!
1. Chapter 1

_**Bump In The Night**_

_**Chapter One**_

Alfred Jones had lived in England since the age of six. The American boy had always had a way with making friends, being able to draw a person in with just widening his shiny blue eyes or flashing his cute pearly smile. When he had originally moved to England with his parents, they had got him and his brother Matthew Williams into a special academy dedicated to bringing together the different cultures of the world. Alfred was the new representative for America in Year Two and Matthew was in for Canada. The twins were the complete opposite of each other. Where Alfred made friends easily, Matthew was shy and reserved, almost invisible to the other children and often the teachers too. On their first day at the academy, the boys were introduced to the class of six year olds who immediately went into a frenzy of having twins in the class. Some children were very hyper, running up and taking the twins to play with them, other children took their time wandering over to say hello or ask what living in America/Canada was like.

During their first break time, Alfred and Matthew joined the rest of the class outside to play on the climbing frames and bikes in the playground. After an incident with the Russian student, Ivan, sitting on Matthew while he was sitting on one of the go karts, the twins sat down in the shade of a tree, not noticing another child was sat munching on an apple and drinking some water near them.

"You okay now, Mattie?" Alfred asked, looking over his brother.

"I'm fine, Alfred," Matthew mumbled.

The other boy looked round at the brothers and smiled a little. He was blonde like the twins, but had a more golden colour in his hair, and had bright green eyes. He shifted round, knowing he wasn't going to get anymore quiet time with the new kids near him, and made his presence known.

"Hi," he smiled. "You okay? I couldn't help but hear what you were saying."

Alfred looked the boy up and down, eyes finally resting on his rather bushy eyebrows. The boy shifted awkwardly, knowing that the American had just spotted them. He looked down at the floor, feeling a little upset by the staring. That's when he spotted the Canadian boy punch his brother in the leg.

"Ow! Mattie, that hurt!"

"Don't stare, he was being nice!"

"Huh?" Alfred looked back at the other boy, eyes widening when he remembered what had been happening. "Oh, man! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you or anything!"

"It's alright," said the boy, a heavy British accent showing. This seemed to spark more of Alfred's interest.

"You're the English kid? I met almost every other country rep except you!"

"Yes, they were being a bit too… crazy for my liking," the boy admitted. "I've never really been that good at talking with people."

Alfred smiled softly at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

"Well, Arthur, I'm Alfred Jones and this is my brother Matthew Williams. Can we be friends?"

"Sure, I don't have many friends. I don't really admit it often but I'm really shy…" Arthur said, blushing a little.

"Shyness isn't a problem! Mattie's shy too!"

Arthur looked at Canadian sat on the floor still. The boy seemed to want to sink into the ground as eyes fell upon him, but Arthur held his hand out to shake Matthew's. The three boys sat and talked for the rest of the break time, Arthur pointing out each child in their class, naming names and countries.

"There are lots of siblings in the school," Arthur explained. "Like the Vargas brothers." He pointed towards a small auburn haired boy snacking on some pasta on the other side of the playground. "That's Feliciano. He's here for North Italy, and his older brother Lovino is here for South Italy."

The twins listened intently to each explanation, latching onto the older boys words, wondering just how he knew all of the information he did when he had said he was so shy. Arthur explained to them that just because he didn't speak to people much didn't mean he wasn't a very good listener. The twins smiled at each other, both silently agreeing on the same thing; Arthur was definitely their first true friend here.

As the months progressed, the three boys made more friends and learnt much more about each other. Alfred knew all of Arthur's secrets, where he was ticklish and even about his imaginary friend, Flying Mint Bunny. Alfred could never see the bunny, but he didn't care because Arthur was always that little happier after 'talking' to the invisible friend. Arthur learnt much about Alfred too. Such as the boys fear of ghosts and belief in aliens. Also, that he had an uncontrollable hero complex. He discovered that one day when the pair were wandering around the playground, spotting the Japanese student, Kiku, hanging by his ankle on the climbing frame. Other kids were pointing and laughing, and no one had called for a teacher, so the two friends had ran over to the scene, Arthur making the other kids leave, while Alfred climbed up, unhooked Kiku's ankle and held onto until Arthur was underneath them and able to hold onto Kiku's shoulders and help lower him to the ground.

"You okay?" Alfred asked the timid Asian.

"Hai, arigatōgozaimasu," Kiku replied, confusing the American.

Arthur stepped in, shaking his head. "He said 'yes, thank you'."

"You understand Japanese," Kiku said, smiling a little.

"Just a little."

"Hey, don't leave the hero out of this conversation!"

The Brit and the Asian turned to the American, both with confused expressions. They looked at each other and began to laugh lightly at Alfred. The younger boy pouted a little.

"I am the hero! I unhooked him!"

"Yes, Alfred, you are the hero!" Arthur smiled, patting Alfred's arm. Alfred smiled at him and joined in with the laughter.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO **_

It was now almost ten years later, and a group of teenaged boys sat on opposite benches in the upper school playground discusses plans for a special night out together the following week. The now 15 year old Alfred sat next to Arthur, playing with his iPod, hiding it occasionally when a teacher passed them. Arthur had told him off for having it in school, but there was nothing he could do to stop the American, so he nicked one of his headphones listening to whatever music would pop up. Some of it was alright, others made Arthur question whether his friend had the sense of sound.

"So," Francis Bonnefoy, the French student, said. "What are doing next week zen? Petit Arthur's 16th birthday mustn't be ignored!"

"Belt up, frog," Arthur muttered, a little distracted by Maroon 5's Misery. "Who said you were invited even if I am doing something?"

"Ah, you strike me here!" Francis laughed, pointing dramatically at his heart. He was pulled back onto the bench by Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, the Spanish student, and Gilbert Beilschmidt, the Prussian student. The pair shook their heads at their French friend, but looked expectantly at Arthur. The British boy sighed.

"My birthday is on the 5th of November," Arthur said. "Most people will be heading towards the Common where the fireworks display will be, but we'll be heading to the Public Gardens. You know, do a bit of camping and exploring. There's a whole big forest there remember? Plus, all the urban legends."

The group all had wicked smiles on their faces. So, Arthur was having a scary birthday? The Brit was always scaring the crap out of everyone, so they were all excited. Except for Alfred, who secretly wished Arthur wouldn't make it too scary. Arthur could sense this, but didn't say anything while the Bad Touch Trio were near; he did care about his friend.

The bell went shortly after and the group split to go to their respected lessons. The Trio walked one direction heading to PE, whilst Arthur, Alfred and -how long had Matthew been there- walked towards Creative Writing.

"Are you going to be okay?" Arthur asked, taking his seat at the back of the room.

"What d'you mean?" Alfred replied, sitting next to him.

"You won't be too scared will you? On my birthday. I know you don't like ghosts still."

"Iggy, don't worry about me! If I freak out, I'll stick by you, k?"

"It's Arthur, and fine. Just tell me if you get too scared, okay?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Fuck off."

The boys were both smirking and turned their attention back towards their teacher who had re-entered the room, starting on their subject of Gothic Fiction. Whilst Alfred doodled in his notebook, Arthur started writing his Gothic story, hoping to get more inspiration next week.

_**Me: Hello! Yes, so the first chapter is now done as promised! I hope it wasn't too bad, but I really wanted to add some childhood moments for the guys! So, of course this chapter isn't an M but I've rated the story as such because I can be quite graphic with horror as my friends have experienced since Year Seven. Yes, I have been like this since I was 11 years old. Kind of my inspiration for Arthur because he and Al act like myself and a friend in our Creative Writing class! Also, the BTT had to be in this one! Basically, my friends are in this story cos we act like most of the characters I'll be writing about! Apparently I'm a cross between Alfred and Lovino… Whoop! As for Arthur's birthday, I read online Wikia that it was said to be 23**__**rd**__** of April, Saint George's Day, but that's unofficial so I went with November the 5**__**th**__** because it's the day of the Gun Powder plot; the attempt to blow up Westminster.**_

_**Arthur: This is going to be painful, isn't it?**_

_**Alfred: Ghosts… It had to be ghosts?**_

_**Me: Suck it up, guys! So, review and fave and stuff! I will update soon! Plus, can you tell I was listening to Maroon 5 while writing this? Inspiration comes in weird forms for me!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Bump In The Night**_

_**Chapter Two**_

The day the plan was made was the last day of school for one weeks half term holiday. This meant plenty of free time and, in Alfred's case, boredom. The teen was lying on his bed, his laptop on his thighs. He didn't know what he was looking for but he was online anyway. Boredom creeping back onto him again, he loaded Windows Live Messenger, hoping that Arthur would be online.

Arthur sat at the desk in his bedroom, a small LED lamp illuminating his keyboard, his own iPod playing music quietly in the background. He wasn't really paying attention to the music, his main focus on the Word document on the screen before him. He was determined to get at least one chapter of his story complete, and thanked his new found freedom from school. Just as he was about to start typing, the WLM logo started to flash. Arthur groaned, regretting leaving his status as Online. He opened the window, rolling his eyes when he saw it was Alfred who had written to him.

_**Al: **__Hey, Iggy! I'm so BORED!_

_**Arthur:**__ Why must you always call me that dreadful nickname?_

_**Al: **__:[ Cos it suits you!_

_**Arthur**__: -shakes head- I will never understand you, will I?_

_**Al: **__I'm a mystery wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside an Easter egg! XD_

_**Arthur: **__I guess that's one way of describing you._

_**Al: **__What's that supposed to mean?_

_**Arthur: **__Never mind, dolt…_

_**Al: **__-pouting-_

_**Arthur: **__Grow up…_

_**Al: **__So, how's your story going?_

_**Arthur: **__How do you know about that?_

_**Al: **__I look at your notebook during CW class. -shrugs-_

_**Arthur: **__Well, don't! You should be focused on your own work not mine!_

_**Al: **__Aw, come on! You know my writing sucks! Besides, you want an audience!_

_**Arthur: **__My story would scare you; it's a ghost story._

_**Al: **__I'd read it! I might get nightmares cos you be freaky, but I'd still read it!_

_**Arthur: **__Really?_

_**Al: **__Of course. What're friends for?_

_**Arthur: **__:] That's nice of you._

_**Al: **__So? How's it going?_

_**Arthur: **__I was about to start writing when you popped up._

_**Al: **__I'll leave you to it, then! XD I get first dibs on the preview though!_

_**Arthur: **__Of course :]_

Arthur walked away from his desk and looked out of his bedroom window. He lived near a large woodland, two halves split by the main road. One half was more wild, a large stream running through the centre, whilst the other half was a part of the public gardens. Arthur had practically grew up in those woodlands, but he still got the strange feeling that something wasn't right about them. Perfect inspiration for his story. After one last glance, the boy walked back to his desk and began writing his story:

_Of all the tales spread across the land, the most terrible was that of the Autumn Witch; a woman so terrifying that even the bravest soldier would flee if caught in her sight. The town was once a quiet peaceful place, smiles and warm greetings being a daily occurrence. No one so much as blinked an eye when Willow Autumn arrived, moving in to the cottage near the woods. She was a beautiful woman, with long flowing red hair, and sharp grey eyes. Her skin was pale as ivory and she slowly attracted the attention of many of the town's gentlemen. However, Willow had a dark secret, and slowly the people became aware of many missing persons. Each one a man. Each one having been seen with Willow. No man was found alive, and the town's suspicions were drawn to the mysterious woman in the cottage by the woods. One evening, during a cold week in November, Willow left her cottage hoping to have peaceful walk around the lake in the middle of the forest. Little did she know, some of the townsfolk were watching her, spying to find out what her secret was. As she neared the lake, she looked towards the sky letting out a content laugh. The wind began to pick up and the townsfolk watched in horror as the woman raised her arms to the sky, all the clouds disappearing and the brightest moon lighting the scene. Willow sat on the ground by the lake, picking a flower from the bank. The townsfolk continued to watch as the flower wilted and died at the woman's touch. They followed her round to a tunnel, in which she walked to a dark room. In the room, were the skeletons of the missing men; all still in their clothes, but no flesh on their bones. Willow took one of the bones and put it into a bowl, mumbling in a foreign language. The townsfolk stormed the room, dragging her by her hair out to the bank of the lake. She screamed and cried out. The sky turned stormy, but the townsfolk continued their attack. Cries of 'witch' filled the air. Willow faced the crowd of people, standing tall. She spoke in a certain tone, stating that she would return each night, rising from her grave to get revenge. The townsfolk thought she was lying, beating her to the ground. After filling her pockets with rocks and stones, they threw the half dead woman into the lake to drown for her sins. No one knew that she was telling the truth; she returned each night for revenge, never able to leave the forest._

Arthur saved his document, staring at what he had just written. He shuddered, having just used a piece of folklore he had grown up hearing. He took a deep breath, nerves showing slightly. It was just a silly urban legend. Nothing would happen! Arthur looked back over to the forest. At least he hoped nothing was going to happen. Arthur shook his head. He was freaking himself out, and it wasn't even Halloween yet. Or his birthday! Arthur questioned whether he should show Alfred or not; if he'd freaked himself out, he could scarcely imagine what Alfred's reaction would be!

Oh well, he thought, only a few days until Halloween and then the real planning can begin.

_**Me: -smiling- I am happy! Yes, the next chapter will be Halloween! :] I found inspiration in my home for once! Arthur's view is the same as mine because I live next to the woods and the large forest with a lake and stuff! So, I understand the view point on this one!**_

_**Alfred: -hiding behind a pillow-**_

_**Arthur: Scary girl…**_

_**Me: Please continue to review and fave and be the wonderful readers I know you are! And yes, the story Arthur was telling is an urban legend I heard as a child. There are loads I can throw in here! ;) **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Bump In The Night**_

_**Chapter Three**_

"Ah, Halloween!"

"Alfred, you are quite possibly the most hypocritical person I have ever met!"

Arthur was lying across the sofa in his living room trying to read a book, but at the same time, watching the American with wide eyes. Alfred was stood in the middle of the room holding up a variety of different costumes. For some reason that Arthur couldn't understand, Alfred wanted to go trick-or-treating; an activity that had long since lost it's appeal in Arthur's point of view. The thing that struck Arthur the most was that it was supposedly a scary night, what with people dressing up as supernatural creatures and all the old laws of demons wandering the streets. Yet there stood Alfred, one of the most phasmophobic people Arthur had ever known, trying to pick a costume and convince Arthur to pick one too! Alfred had made the content sigh, causing the Brit to scoff, but continued in his search for the right costume. Arthur shook his head, still not able to concentrate on his reading. He watched as Alfred's eyes seemed to light up when he found the perfect costume.

"You know, I don't want to go out tonight," Arthur sighed.

"Even you can't deny the call of candy," Alfred smirked.

Arthur scowled, turning his eyes back to his book when Alfred started to get changed. Honestly, the boy didn't seem to have any sense of decency! Arthur peaked a little to make sure he was decent, but no. No, the boy wasn't. Arthur shook his head and carried on reading almost instantly when he saw Alfred was in only his boxers. After a few minutes Alfred laughed, causing Arthur to look up. Alfred was wearing a long orange trench coat with green dying along bottom, black trousers and shoes, and white shirt with holes in it. On his head at an angle was a hockey mask like the one from _Friday the 13th_ and in his hand was a fake chainsaw. Arthur could see some of Alfred's tanned skin through the holes, and smirked at the elated expression on the boys face.

"What are you supposed to be?" Arthur said, sitting upright and swinging his legs round to put his feet on the floor.

"A cross between Jason and Leatherface," Alfred smiled, winking at Arthur.

"You and your bloody horror films."

"Come on! You can wear this one!"

Alfred pointed to another costume he had brought with him, and Arthur sighed. He looked up at Alfred. The American had put on his puppy-dog face, pouting and sad eyes glistening with life so opposite to his costume. Arthur had always found it hard to say no to that face.

"Fine," he grumbled, standing up and grabbing the costume. "I'll be down in a moment."

Alfred waited patiently in the living room, but he wasn't doing very good. It had only been five minutes, and Arthur hadn't returned yet. He had given him a costume with many layers, but surely it shouldn't take _this_ long to change? He contemplated going up to his bedroom, but as he stood up he heard movement on the stairs. A moment later, Arthur re-entered the room, a slight blush on his face. Alfred smiled at his friend, taking in every aspect of the costume. Arthur was wearing a grey and white striped dress shirt, with a blue waist coat over the top. He had a blue cloak over the top, secured by a bow of the same colour. He wore white trousers with black shoes. On top of his head was a small hat, the same colour as the cloak, with a black sash around it, perched at an angle, and in his hand was a long black cane with a gold sphere at the top. Alfred beamed at Arthur, making the smaller blonde blush deeper and scowl.

"I can't believe you've talked me into this," he muttered.

"You look great, and we're gunna have a lot of fun!"

"If you freak out and cry I will hurt you, you know that right?"

"I love Halloween!"

"Sometimes you astound me, Alfred…"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

Alfred was far to into this… Arthur could only watch, blush, and then walk away embarrassed as his American friend knocked on the doors of their poor neighbours asking for sweets. They'd gotten lots, of course. There was no denying that, but it was still embarrassing. They even spotted a few people from school, including Samurai Kiku, Ghoul Francis, Zelda Felix and Werewolf Ludwig. Some people were in groups, others on their own.

Arthur stared up at the sky. They were stood near the woods, and Alfred was in the garden of their final house waiting for the front door to open. The sky was clear, not a single cloud and the stars were bright and amazingly large. Even a full moon had made it's appearance. It was truly turning into a magical night. Arthur took one last glance up at the sky before turning back to Alfred. He was still waiting for the door to open, so Arthur wandered towards the woods. He leaned on the wooden fence that separated it from the pavement and sighed. The woods always were creepier at night, no matter what you did to push the creepy thoughts away. Whilst deep in thought, Arthur heard a rustling. He looked up and saw the bush moving, so he backed away. Something was pushing it's way through the bushes, but for some reason it couldn't get outside. Arthur didn't want to find out what it was, so continued to back away. There was a gap in the bushes a little way up, and Arthur watched as the movement headed in that direction. A pale form, a torn filthy dress…

"AH!" Arthur cried out, jumping as hand landed on his shoulders. He turned quickly, breathing deeply, and looked up to see Alfred with a smirk on his face.

"And you said I'd be the one to freak out!"

Arthur looked back at the bushes, but there was nothing there. Alfred followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"Arthur, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… I'm fine…"

"Well, if you're sure… Let's go back to yours, okay?"

"Sure, you staying over then?"

"Now."

_**Me: ah, Halloween! Such a lovely form of consumerism - I mean entertainment…**_

_**Alfred: Halloween is AWESOME!**_

_**Arthur: -shakes his head-**_

_**Me: You know the drill. R&R! Much appreciated! Also, this is my inspiration for their Halloween costumes:**_

_**http:/ / maiyeng. deviantart. com /art/ US-UK- Halloween- 183136625**__** (no spaces) Let's have a vote in the reviews: who's costume is sexier? And if someone were to draw Poland as Zelda and show me, I would love you forever!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Four**_

Alfred never took his eyes off of Arthur as they walked back to his home. He was visibly shaking, his eyes shifting every so often, and he kept glancing back towards the woods. He had never seen Arthur like it before and it was creeping him out. When he had put his hand on Arthur's shoulder earlier, the boy had jumped out of his skin, crying out in shock and what seemed like terror. This alone was enough to spark Alfred's interests; Arthur was one of the bravest people he knew. He never flinched during a horror film, he could read scary stories from past and present for countless hours, and he wasn't afraid to stand his ground and fight. From being a shy loner as a child, Arthur had grown into a force that Alfred respected and sometimes feared. He hated seeing Arthur looking so… edgy… It made him feel at a loss of what to say or do.

"How much candy do you think we got between us?" Alfred asked in an attempt to distract Arthur from whatever was bugging him.

Looking up, Arthur gave Alfred a soft smile, understanding what he was trying to do. "Enough to piss off the dentist, I'd wager."

"Aw, screw the dentist," Alfred smiled. "Everyone deserves something sweet once in a while."

"Yeah, but Al, you are always…"

"That's not the point."

The duo continued their walk home in lighter spirits. Both boys couldn't wait until they got home, so started eating their sweets as they walked, occasionally swapping when they found something that they didn't like and the other did. Finally, they reached Arthur's home and entered through the front door.

"Mum, I'm home!" Arthur was a reply of a muffled shout, and a moment later Mrs Kirkland was walking down the stairs in a pink dressing gown.

"Did you boys have fun?" she asked, instantly knowing that Alfred would be staying the night.

"It was alright," Arthur said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It was awesome! We got so much candy!" Alfred exclaimed, holding his bag. Mrs Kirkland smiled at him; she had always thought that Alfred was a good friend for Arthur. She nodded to the boys and went to go back upstairs, turning around when she was half way up.

"If you're going to eat the sweets, then don't forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed."

"I do that anyway!"

"Good, maybe you can remind Arthur."

"MUM!"

Mrs Kirkland carried on up the stairs, chuckling to herself. Arthur could only stare after her, slightly embarrassed. Scowling, he walked into the living room, putting his bag of sweets onto one of the seats and taking off the hat and cloak. Alfred did the same with his costume, and this reminded Arthur of something.

"Do you have pyjamas?" he asked.

"Of course, I brought them with the costumes!" Alfred laughed, beaming his bright pearly smile.

"You git! You… God, I can't believe you sometimes! You were planning on staying before I'd even _invited_ you to!" Arthur scolded. "If I weren't freaking tired I would drop-kick you out the front door!"

"You wouldn't do that to your best friend would you?" Alfred said, smiling sweetly and innocently.

"Who said you were my best friend?" grumbled Arthur, looking away.

"Well, you're mine, 'cos Mattie doesn't count 'cos he's my brother so he has to be my best friend, but you are my best non-family friend, so it would suck if I weren't yours!"

Arthur looked back up at Alfred, a small smile playing around his lips. Of course Alfred was his best friend; he was practically his first friend _ever_. He sighed, shaking his head as the smile grew larger.

"Yes, Al, you are my best friend."

"Good," Alfred smiled. "It'd be too weird without you around."

Arthur smirked, patting him on the arm. "I'm going to go get changed for bed and grab us some blankets."

Both boys changed in separate rooms, and Arthur returned a little while later with blankets and pillows for them. Alfred was sprawled out across the sofa, the remote in his hand flicking through the channels on the TV. He seemed to be searching for something, and Arthur dreaded to think what it could be. He threw the blanket and pillow at Alfred and then put his own down on the floor.

"I'm going to go grab my laptop," Arthur said.

"Yeah! You need to show me your story!"

Arthur sighed and left the room, running up the stairs. He pushed open the white door of his bedroom and automatically his eyes shifted to the window. He knew he was being silly, nothing was in the bush that was going to hurt them. If there was something in the bush it was probably just a lost trick-or-treater or something. Out of habit, Arthur looked out into the woods. He always did so before he started to write, but this time he had the sense that something really bad was happening. Never before had he had a feeling that whatever he had been writing about was going to come true, and he didn't know whether or not there was truly something deeper in the legend or if it was just a fable to scare kids away from the woods at night-time. Green eyes scanned across the deathly silent woodlands, finally landing on something strange. He watched as something moved amongst the trees. A woman? Wait… He recognised that dress… What was going on? The woman was too far away to get a good look at her, and she kept moving further away. Why was she still in the forest at this time of night? Arthur backed away from the window, turning and grabbing his laptop and it's charger. He hurried down the stairs, hoping that he didn't look to flustered or like he'd seen a ghost. Because he hadn't seen a ghost, he tried to tell himself, it was just a trick-or-treater with a very good costume.

Yeah, right.

Alfred was now sat on the floor, bundled up in his blanket. His pyjamas were just showing; grey sweatpants and a superman t-shirt. He looked up and smiled as Arthur re-entered the room, and moved to sit next to him after he'd finished sorting out his laptop. Arthur put the device on his lap and waited for it to load, slowly becoming more aware of how close Alfred was. He shook his head, and looked at his friend.

"You found a bloody horror film didn't you?"

Alfred tried to remain looking innocent. "I have no idea what you mean!"

"Whenever you've slept over in the past, or I've gone round yours, you always sit really close to me when you want to watch a horror movie."

"Do I?"

"Yes. It's become somewhat of a classic trait for you."

"Well, can we?"

"What?"

"Watch the movie? I found one on _Sky Movies_! It's the remake of _A Nightmare on Elm Street_!"

Arthur blinked. Seriously? _A Nightmare on Elm Street_? He'd seen the original, and thought it was pretty good. But he was biased because he enjoyed most horror movies. But, this was Alfred who was suggesting the film. Arthur knew that he'd be kept up all night by Alfred's own nightmares. However, when he looked back to Alfred he received 'the look'. You know, that look someone gives you that you just can't refuse. Groaning, Arthur agreed to watch the film, but warned Alfred that if he woke him up more than 3 times he would smother him with a pillow or make him eat his cooking. The last threat was taken more seriously than the first.

Half way through the film, Alfred was hiding behind his pillow, peaking and hiding every so often. Arthur was thoroughly enjoying the film, but he was semi distracted by his laptop. He was writing still. His story becoming deeper by the paragraph; the group of friends heading into the forest after they were warned to leave, the sightings of the witch beforehand… Arthur shuddered, deciding to take a break from writing and just watch the film. Suddenly, causing Arthur to jump, Alfred flung his arms around him, hiding his face in his shoulder.

"Al… can't… breath!"

"Sorry!" the younger boy said, pulling away with a slight blush on his face. "It wasn't even the film, though!"

"What was it?"

"Can't you see the storm?"

Arthur blinked once again, looking at the door to the conservatory. Yes, there was indeed a storm happening. And a very bad one at that. When the fuck had that started?

"Oh yeah, you don't like storms, do you?"

"It wasn't just that," Alfred said, flinching as more lightning flashed. Having left the lights off to watch the film, the whole room was lit then darkened again. "T-there was a shadow."

"A shadow? Come on, Al. A shadow. It was probably a tree."

"One that looked like a girl?"

"Huh?"

"A girl! I could tell the dress and hair apart from anything!"

Great. So now Alfred had seen something abnormally freaky too. Arthur shook his head.

"Where did you see the shadow?"

"Up against the wall."

The boys watched the wall as lightning flashed once more. Their eyes widened as the silhouette of woman indeed appeared on the wall. The light died away, followed by the loud rumble of thunder. Alfred was shaking like mad, watching Arthur as the latter stood up.

"What're you doing?" he asked, nervously reaching up the pull on Arthur's green pyjama sleeve.

"To see if there is a girl in my back garden."

"Are you mad?"

"It's not like I'm going to invite her inside and say 'hi, are you a dangerous psychopath intent on slicing mine and my friend's nuts off'."

"You disturb sometimes, ya know?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, and walked up the to conservatory door. No one was inside it, neither was there anyone in the back garden. Even as the lightning flashed once more, there was no one outside. Arthur turned and watched his own shadow, as Alfred was, and saw the girl's shadow move next to it. It placed it's hand on his shoulder before they both disappeared. Arthur looked down at his shoulder and saw no hand there. He glanced over his shoulder, still seeing no one in the garden. Alfred was watching him wide-eyed.

"What the fuck was that?"

"I… I don't know!"

Both boys were officially freaked out. Arthur crawled under his blanket again, pulling it up by his face. Alfred had shifted right up next to him again, and the pair leaned against each others arms shaking. The film was nearing the end, an attack scene causing them both to jump.

"Hey, Arthur?"

"Yeah, Alfred?"

"Why did you freak out earlier? Outside by the woods."

"I saw something in the bushes."

"A girl?"

Arthur could only nod. So, this was not good. A mystery girl was now stalking him from the bushes and the shadows. Literally. Arthur didn't know what to think. Alfred tensed by his side, and both boys stayed awake most of the night, uncertain as to what was happening.

_**Me: Hmm, I had to continue with Halloween. And give Arthur a stalker *cough***_

_**Arthur: Why me?**_

_**Me: 'Cos I can.**_

_**Alfred: -shaking in fear behind pillow still-**_

_**Me: Please continue to review (and vote on the sexiest costume ;] ) favouriting and subbing are welcome too! I wrote most of this story during my Maths class. Yeah, I passed so only need to take two periods out of four for Maths now, so every week I have 3 free periods to do catch up for other lessons! So, using Creative Writing class as an excuse today, I just sat and wrote this! XD I got away with it too! Also, they both brushed their teeth, I just didn't write it in.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Five**_

Arthur was the first to wake the next morning. He was propped up against the recliner, a crick in his neck. But there was an extra weight on his shoulder. Turning his head, Arthur saw a thick mass of blonde hair on his shoulder, resting under his chin. Alfred. So, the boy had fallen asleep on his shoulder? Arthur could tell he was asleep still, judging by the steady breathing and lack of movement when Arthur had shifted as he woke up. Not having the heart to wake him up abruptly, Arthur let him sleep. His eyes kept wandering around the room, lingering on the wall where the woman's shadow had been. None of this could be a coincidence, right? Arthur seeing a woman twice in the woods and then an abnormal shadow moving across the wall… Shaking his head, Arthur tried to push all thoughts of last night out of his head. Nothing was happening. No one was after them. Finally, there was movement on his shoulder and Arthur turned his head to watch as Alfred woke up. The latter seemed to wonder what he was lying on, shifting his head to look up. He blushed when he saw it was Arthur's shoulder, pulling away and putting his hand behind his neck. His trade mark awkward-moment-stopper smile flashed across his face, and Arthur couldn't help but smile back.

"You idiot," he muttered.

"Hey! That's mean!" Alfred whined.

Arthur shook his head, standing up and folding his blanket up. He was still having a battle inside his mind to keep the images of the mystery girl at bay. Of course, with Alfred awake, the task was now nearing the impossible. Soon, Alfred had folded his own blanket and was sat on the recliner rubbing his eyes. Arthur sat down on the sofa, and grabbed his laptop. After it had loaded, he opened up the document containing notes for his story and added last nights events to the list. Screw pushing the images away, he knew that was impossible now. So he decided to use them instead. Alfred was watching him, taking in every movement.

"Arthur…" he started. "What happened last night?"

"I don't know," Arthur replied., knowing what he meant. "It may have been a trick of the light or something? Just… don't think about it."

Alfred nodded, and then left the room to get washed and dressed. Arthur watched him go, and then opened up his Internet browser. After loading Google, he typed into the search engine "The Tale of the Autumn Witch", hoping to find out any additional information he didn't already know. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything. After a little while, Alfred walked back into the room fully dressed except for bare feet, and he sat down on the recliner again.

"Hey, can I read your story now?" he said, looking expectantly at Arthur. The older boy looked uncertain for a moment; should he show him the story? Alfred might freak out. Especially after last night. Nevertheless, he nodded and Alfred moved to sit next to him. Arthur loaded the document and put the device on Alfred's lap.

"I'm going to go get washed and dressed myself," Arthur said, getting up and leaving the room as Alfred had done.

Alfred read the story, taking in every last detail. He didn't know why, but the story seemed so familiar to him. Shaking his head, he finished reading as Arthur walked back into the room.

"What do you think then?"

"It's…"

"I can take any comments."

"It's very interesting. I… The whole beginning part seems familiar to me, though."

"I used the legend of the Autumn Witch from the stories we heard as kids," Arthur said, smiling a little.

"The Autumn Witch…" Alfred mused. "Oh! That story of the girl who was drowned in the lake!"

"Yes."

"I really like this! A little freaky, but it's cool."

"Thanks," Arthur smiled.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

When school restarted, nobody wanted to go in. But the one thing that got everyone going was the knowledge that Saturday night, they would be going on their camping trip in the public gardens.

It was raining, a heavy down pour cascading down from the sky. Arthur wandered through the corridors, walking from his English lesson towards the toilets. This had become a natural instinct for him, having known his friends most of their school lives. When it was sunny or decent outside, they'd be out on the benches or on the field. However, when it was raining, snowing or just too cold they'd either be in the toilets, outside whatever lesson they all had together or a half way point for them to separate at. So, Arthur decided to head to the toilets first, a sneaking suspicion that they guys were spending their break time there.

He was right.

Antonio, Gilbert, Francis, Lovino, and Matthew were already inside. Antonio was sat on the unit holding the sinks, an arm around Lovino, who looked a little embarrassed yet content at the same time. Francis was eyeing Matthew up, but the Canadian was focus entirely on Gilbert. The Prussian was looking at his reflection in the mirror next to Antonio and Lovino.

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the awesomest of them all?" he said in a sing-song voice.

"Not you, clearly," Arthur said, causing everyone to jump. He smiled at their shocked then amused faces.

"Ha Ha, Arthur," Gilbert said sarcastically. "Very funny!" He walked over to Matthew, who instantly blushed as an arm went around his shoulders.

"Anyone seen Alfred yet?" Arthur asked.

"Non, mon amis," Francis smiled, floating next to Arthur and draping his arms around him. "We 'ave not seen Amérique!"

Arthur shoved Francis away, giving him an look that said 'touch me again and I will impale you on a the taps'.

"Why do you keep referring to us as our countries?" he asked.

"Je ne sais pas, c'est divertissant," Francis said, shrugging. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Bloody frog…"

"Never fear, the hero is here!" came Alfred's voice as he entered the toilets. "Your lives just got better."

"Why do I feel like it just got worse?" Lovino asked. Antonio chuckled.

"So what have I missed?"

"The evil step brother was looking for Snow White," Arthur smirked.

"Bite me, Brit."

They spent the rest of their break time in this pattern. When the bell rang they all left for their lessons, Alfred grabbing Arthur's wrist to pull him back behind the others.

"Al, what are you-"

"Did you tell them anything about Halloween while I wasn't there?"

"What? No. Why would I?"

"'Cos it was freaky, and you like to scare them!"

"Well, I won't say anything, okay?"

"I think it'd be best not to for now."

"Agreed."

_**Translations:**_

~ Je ne sais pas, c'est divertissant :- I don't know; it's entertaining

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Brought to you today by the REAL Creative Writing class! Yeah, I was supposed to be working on a poem, but couldn't be arsed so wrote most of this instead. -shrugs- I got away with it.**_

_**Alfred: -smirking- Cool!**_

_**Arthur: -shakes his head- Why am I stuck in the notes with you two?**_

_**Me: 'Cos they're my notes, so what I say goes. Anyways, R&R! **_^u^


	6. Chapter 6

**Bump in the Night**

**Chapter Six**

After running to catch up with the others, the boys now found themselves in a mind numbing Science lesson. Really, when was any of this going to help them? So what if the chemical symbol for salt was NaCl? What use was that? Their teacher was crap too. She didn't understand a single thing she was saying, and occasionally someone would point out one of the mistakes she'd written on the board.

Having lost control of the class once more, their teacher, Mrs Fine, had left the room to get some supplies for an experiment that they would be doing. She had left a short film on for the class to watch about the Periodic Table.

Arthur looked around the room, bored out of his mind. He wasn't able to take any of the information in, and by the looks of it, his friends were having about as much luck as he was:

Alfred was slumped forwards on the desk next to him, watching the screen yet not taking in anything. His eyes kept shutting every so often, causing him to jolt awake occasionally. Francis was sat on one side of Antonio, clearly groping him under the desk. Lovino, who was sat on Antonio's other side, looked down slightly, blushing and looking up at Antonio.

"Why are you letting that pervert grope you, you bastard?" he hissed so only Toni could hear him. Antonio looked at Lovino, surprised. But then his eyes travelled down, and he elbowed Francis in the ribs. Gilbert and Matthew were sat behind Alfred and Arthur. Gilbert was looking closely at the notebook Matthew had pulled out, watching as the later doodled polar bears on one of the pages.

After the film had finished, Mrs Fine returned with the chemicals they would be working with. She stood at the front of the class, and started to explain their experiment. Of course, no one listened so it was bound to get botched up at some point. Arthur poked Alfred on the arm, then went to get the supplies they would need. After setting up the experiment, he dragged Alfred from his chair and made him come over to help.

"What? I'm awake!"

"Then bloody well help me!"

"Okay!"

The others had set up their experiments nearby, teaming up in another pair and a group of three (Antonio and Lovino as the pair, Gilbert, Francis and Matthew as the three). Arthur put the chemicals into the beaker, and then turned on the Bunsen burner. He waited a moment, then let Alfred know he could add the final chemical. Just as Alfred started pouring in the chemical, Francis decided to grope Matthew's backside causing the Canadian to jump and crash into Alfred. This made Alfred over pour the chemical. Because of the heat and abnormal amount of chemicals, the mixture started to fizz before actually exploding. Arthur and Alfred yelled in shock, the others having already moved, and rushed backwards. Both were looking at the smoke and swore they could see a face. Unbeknownst to the duo, Heracles Karpusi (the Greek student) had decided to take a nap on the floor while Kiku sorted out their experiment. Arthur tripped over him first, landing heavily on his back. Alfred, having not seen his friend fall, tripped over next, twisting round to make his hands hit the floor. He felt something under his legs and opened his eyes to see Arthur's own eyes closed tightly and inches away from him. When Arthur opened his eyes, he instantly blushed and both boys looked down at how their bodies were positioned, shifting apart as the fire alarm started to ring.

"Oh ho ho ho!" laughed Francis, suddenly hovering near them. "Looks like your sexual tension 'as set off ze fire alarms!"

Arthur then kicked Francis in the balls. As he bent over in pain, Alfred smacked him on the forehead. Everyone then left the room (the fire alarm had triggered the emergency stop for the gas), taking their bags with them and lined up in the games court to be registered for health and safety.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Because of the fire alarm, the group was allowed to go to lunch a little earlier than normal. This meant a longer time to get over the disastrous Science lesson, and for Alfred and Arthur to kick the crap out of Francis more.

The boys were sat at a table in the canteen, each with either a packed lunch or something from the kitchens. Arthur was eating a Marmite sandwich, making Alfred shift slightly in his seat.

"How can you eat that?" he asked.

"What? I like Marmite!"

"It scares me!"

"You are scared of Marmite?" Lovino asked, smirking at him.

"Mon amis, you are full of surprises!" Francis laughed, before hastily ducking to avoid a spork thrown by Alfred. After a few minutes, Gilbert sat down next to Matthew with his tray of food. It was the school lasagne. Feliciano, who had sat next to Lovino, smiled at Gilbert for his choice. He tapped Ludwig (the German student) on the shoulder.

"You're brother has good taste, ve~"

"I'm sure lasagne is nice," Ludwig said. "But the school food is crap."

"Well, I'm left with no other choice!" Gilbert scowled. "But because mein lieber bruder wouldn't give me his house key to grab my lunch, I have to eat this crap." He then started to eat, wincing at the taste and having a drink. "Bleurgh!"

Everyone laughed at him, causing the self-proclaimed king of awesome to stick his middle finger up at them.

"Fuck you, guys! This is disgusting! Even Arthur's cooking tastes better than this!"

This earned a smack round the head from Arthur.

When everyone had walked along the corridors, Alfred walked near the back of the group with Arthur.

"Hey, Arthur?"

"Yes, Alfred?"

"W-when the chemicals exploded, did you see a face in the smoke?"

Arthur stopped walking. "Yeah, I did."

"So I wasn't seeing things…"

"Unfortunately…"

"What does this mean? I mean, that weird shadow, the girl you saw in the woods?"

"I don't know, but…"

"Excusez-moi, but what are you two talking about back 'ere?" Francis said, swooping in on them.

"NOTHING!" they both replied.

"Ah, I see," Francis smiled. "Just know, when it comes to l'amour I am always willing to help!"

"L'A - WHAT?" both boys exclaimed.

"We're not speaking about anything like that, you perverted bastard!" Arthur snapped.

"Zen, what are you talking about?"

"FUCK OFF!" Alfred shouted.

Everyone looked surprised at Alfred. The boy didn't care, however, storming away. Arthur watched him, then hurried after him to make sure he was okay.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Arthur stared at the monitor in front of him, not really caring about what they were supposed to be doing. It was Media now, and he, Alfred, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio and Kiku were working on making a small film about their different cultures. Each one of them had to make a research plan and notes about what to add. However, Arthur had other things on his mind, so decided to follow them instead. He typed into Google his search for the mystery woman, having a sneaking suspicion that it may be connected to the urban legend. He still had no luck with finding anything, and suddenly felt like someone was looking over his shoulder. He turned and saw Kiku staring at his screen.

"Arthur, what are you looking at?" he asked.

"N-nothing!" Arthur replied, quickly shutting the window.

This, however, caught the attention of the remaining members of the group. They instantly crowded around Arthur and Kiku, demanding to know what was going on. Arthur looked at Alfred, who seemed to understand exactly _what_ was bugging Arthur the most.

"Arthur's been writing a story," he said, trying to save his friend.

"Y-yeah!" Arthur said. "It's based around the legend of the Autumn Witch!"

He then showed them what he had written so far. They seemed impressed, and Arthur thanked Alfred for finally being quick thinking.

_**Translations**_

- mein lieber bruder :- my dear brother (German)

- Excusez-moi :- excuse me (French)

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Lesson for writing today: Media. Mainly why there was a Media lesson added to the chapter. Also, some of my friends and I empathise with the characters in Science, as ours is exactly the same. **_

_**Alfred: Stupid Francis…**_

_**Arthur: -smiling- I am happy I got to kick him in the balls, though!**_

_**Me: You know the drill; R&R pwease! **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Seven**_

As soon as the bell rang, Arthur and Alfred ran from the classroom and outside. The pair walked together out of the school gates, and along the busy streets. They were in an awkward silence, and neither knew how to break it. Arthur looked up at Alfred, and sighed. That day had been very… eventful, to say the least. Neither of them had expected that they're Science lesson would end the way it did, or that they would be having very conflicting feeling rushing through their heads.

Nearing the end of their walk home, the pair suddenly became aware of that sinking feeling that someone was watching them. Before either could react, they were tackled to the ground and pinned next to each other. Arthur glared up at Gilbert and Antonio, the pair now sat uncomfortably on their stomachs.

"Get off!" he snapped.

"Not until you tell us why you were acting so weird today!" Antonio said.

"How is it any of your business?" both boys said.

This earned smirks from the two boys sat on them. From behind them, Francis wandered over, clearly amused by what he was seeing.

"Ah, why did you not wait for moi, you two?"

"Well, we couldn't just let these two get away now, could we?" Gilbert said, still smirking at Arthur whom he was still sat on.

Francis moved round to see all of their faces, a smirk now playing on his own face. So many things seem to zoom through his mind, each one showing on his face. Arthur, of course, spotted his expressions and snapped.

"GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE FUCKING GUTTER, FROG!"

"Ah, now who said I was thinking anything wrong, mon amis?" Francis countered. "You must have just as perverted mind as my own to think I'd be thinking such things about the positions you four are in!"

"GET BENT!"

"JUST GET THE FUCK OFF US!" Alfred yelled.

Sighing, Gilbert and Antonio looked at each then got off of them. They helped them stand, but kept them in their sights. Arthur looked around for some chance to escape, but they were outnumbered. Alfred sighed, and knew that they couldn't just walk away or make up some random story of why they had been acting weird all day. The others, of course, didn't know of the creepy events of Halloween night or the face in the smoke. They probably thought it was something sexually related, but that didn't mean they wouldn't pry until they received the truth. Arthur seemed to sense the inner battle going on inside his friends head, so took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"Strange things have been happening," he began to explain. "Really strange. It was Halloween when things started, and at first, on my part, I wasn't sure what I'd seen was real or just a very good trick-or-treater."

"What had you seen?" Antonio asked, clearly surprised that he had started to explain.

"Well, Alfred had gone to the last house to get some sweets, so I was leaning on the fence near the woods," Arthur said. "Then they started moving, and not just the average breeze moving. I mean, something-trying-to-get-out moving. I moved away, but then the moving got the gap. There was a girl in a torn and filthy. I could only see her waist and legs, but she was deathly pale. Then, Alfred came up behind me a scared me."

Alfred punched Francis on the arm as he started to say something perverted, and carried on from where Arthur left off.

"So, we went back to Arthur's and watched a horror movie. We were nearly at the end when it started to thunder and lightning outside. But each time a flash went off I spotted a weird shadow on the wall."

"It was probably just a tree or something?" Gilbert interrupted.

"That's what I thought," Arthur said. "But there was nothing outside when I check, and then when the lightning flashed again…"

"What?"

"The shadow had moved to stand next to my own and put it's hand on my shoulder. The shadow was a girl. I've seen her out in the woods from my bedroom window almost every night."

"And in Science we both saw a face in the smoke," Alfred finished.

An uneasy silence fell over the boys. The Trio had not been expecting their response to be that… Arthur looked at Alfred. The boy looked edgy for some reason. But before they could do anything, Gilbert spoke up again.

"Well, let's go to the woods now and have a look around!"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Alfred exclaimed.

"No! We can have a look around and see if there's any sign of a girl doing nightly rounds in there!"

With little other choice, Arthur and Alfred agreed to go with them. They stood and looked at the bushes behind the fence, and Arthur felt a surge of déjà vu. He was the first to climb over and enter through the gap in the bushes however, climbing down the steep slope and over a fallen log that had always been there. There didn't seem to be any difference to the place. The others joined him shortly after looking around too. Arthur then climbed down off the bank of the river next to them, using some thick roots and branches to climb down onto a ledge that held the entrance to a tunnel. Again, the others took it one by one and joined him.

"Wait a minute," Alfred said. The others turned to look at him. "Arthur, the tunnel in your story…"

Arthur instantly knew what he was getting at. "Yes, this is it."

Antonio nodded knowingly, having read the story himself during their lesson not long ago. "Mi amigo, should we go inside?"

"You guys wanted to have a look around," Arthur shrugged.

"Wait, what story's this?" Gilbert asked.

They explained Arthur's story and the urban legend. Gilbert nodded then had a look inside the tunnel.

"Well, I don't see anyone down here," he said, his voice echoing.

"Can we not go down there?" Alfred asked.

After a moment or so, the group nodded. They climbed back up and out of the woods, separating off for their own homes.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

There was always that large debate at the end of the week. That wonderful little argument about which day of the week was better; Friday or Saturday? Sure, Saturday you had the whole day to yourself, but Fridays gave you that ecstatic feeling of freedom. The only problem with Friday was the fact that they had PE first lesson. Arthur was stood in the changing rooms, waiting for everyone else to finish changing. It was slightly awkward waiting. He'd worn half his kit into school to save time changing, but that meant that there was the wait for someone to walk into the sports hall with. Plus, this lesson of PE was half the year group's core session. This meant that he and the other boys were avoiding changing too openly as Francis was always looking for a chance to grope someone. Finally, Lovino walked over to Arthur, an awkward expression on his face.

"Are you ready?" he asked. "Everyone else is still changing, and Francis keeps looking at me funny."

"Yeah, let's go before he strikes," Arthur replied, leaving the room with the younger boy.

As they entered the hall, they spotted that they'd be playing badminton, so wandered over to the supply cupboard together to grab some nets to help set up the courts. After 5 more minutes they were joined in the hall by Alfred, Francis, Antonio, Gilbert, Matthew, and Kiku. They were told to get into teams by their teacher and go onto a court and just play either a singles match or a doubles match. Of course, it would be Alfred how they should set there teams out:

"Tall-ies versus shorties!" he laughed.

Everyone looked at him for a moment, then around at each other. Indeed, looking at their heights there were enough players for a tall team and a short team.

"Kiku, Lovino, Arthur and Francis," Alfred said. "Versus Gilbert, Matthew, Antonio and me!"

And so the games began. Some were very evenly matched, others were so pathetically one-sided they were over within a few minutes. At one point, a match started between Lovino and Alfred. The smaller boy decided to take the piss a little, so did a sumo stomp before holding his racket in front of him ready to serve.

"Hey! Are you calling me fat?" Alfred pouted.

"Might be," Lovino shrugged, serving and starting the game.

The pair were a very good match, so the rally went on and on. Arthur was getting bored, so decided he'd do a little practicing while he waited for his next turn. The only problem was Francis had the last shuttlecock. Grudgingly, he walked over and crossed his arms. Francis looked up at him, an amused smile on his face.

"Can I borrow that?" Arthur mumbled, nodded to the shuttlecock.

"Ah, mon amis, you 'ave always wanted to play with my cock, non?" Francis laughed, holding out the shuttlecock. This triggered something in Arthur, causing him to hit Francis between the legs with his racket, causing the French boy to wince and loose his breath.

"Whoops," smiled Arthur. "Wrong cock!"

All the while this was going on, Alfred was slowly getting distracted from him match. He kept glancing over at Arthur and Francis, hearing their conversation. He was confused by the strange feeling in his chest. Before he knew it, the shuttlecock hit him in the face, giving Lovino his winning point. Gilbert, Antonio, Matthew and Kiku had been watching the match from the sidelines, so the Tall team members groaned when Alfred lost whereas Kiku clapped and congratulated the fellow Small team member ("well done, Lovino-kun!"). It was a minute or so before Gilbert began to laugh really hard at Alfred.

"Keseseseseses! Alfred got a cock to the face!"

"Shut the fuck up, Gil!" Alfred snapped.

Over in the corner, Francis finally found his breath. He looked up at Arthur, and loud enough for Alfred and the others to hear said:

"The first of many, eh Arthur?"

Things went silent for a moment, Alfred blushing as red as one of Antonio's tomatoes. Arthur then punched Francis round the face.

Hard.

It took Matthew and Gilbert holding him back to stop him from killing him then and there.

Meanwhile, as Arthur prepared to castrate Francis, Antonio stood next to Lovino, serenading the younger boy, using his racket as a guitar:

"_And she bangs, she bangs,_

_Oh baby, _

_When she moves, she moves _

_I go crazy, _

_'Cause she looks like a flower but she stings like a bee, _

_Like every girl in history, _

_She bangs, she bangs~_"

Lovino then did as Arthur had done, but merely hit Antonio on the arm with his racket.

"Shut the fuck up, bastard!"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

English.

The word alone bored Alfred. Not the people or anything. The lesson. He was sat next to Arthur, his head pressed against the desk. They were studying poetry once again. Poetry! Alfred hated poems. More than anything! They bored him so badly. He felt like he was about to fall asleep, and if wasn't for Arthur poking him in the neck every so often he probably would have done so by now. What made matters worse was the fact they had to analyse the poems. Seriously! He looked at the poem and read and reread it:

_My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;_

_Coral is far more red than her lips' red;_

_If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;_

_If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head._

"Arthur," Alfred whined. "I don't get it!"

"It's a sonnet, you moron," Arthur replied. "What's not to get?"

"A lot?"

"What don't you get?"

"A sonnet is a love poem, right?"

"Correct."

"Then what the fuck is he doing? He's basically ripping on her!"

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"He was trying to do the opposite of what a sonnet is typically like to make a point."

"You wanna know something?"

"What?"

"I hate poems with a passion!"

Arthur then hit him on the head with his Anthology. Bored once more, Alfred put his head on the desk, finally succumbing to the need to sleep. Arthur looked at his friend. He looked so vulnerable, such an easy target. An overwhelming feeling was forming in his head. He still had his pen in his hand; the nice one with the proper ink cartridge. If he was sneaky enough, he'd be able to draw a moustache…

"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." Alfred mumbled, putting an end to Arthur's plan.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Science was quite possibly the most horrific experience any of them had ever had. Due to the fireworks in the lesson the previous day, the deputy headteacher was sitting in the back of the room, doing an inspection of the lesson. Once more they were bored mindless. Arthur sat there, looking at the sheet that was put in front of him and Alfred. Alfred was staring at it wide-eyed. They turned around to Matthew and Gilbert, finding them with the same expressions as they had. On the paper were Physics questions using different equations. On one sheet was a picture of a pig with wings. Gilbert looked at Arthur, both nodding with the same thought:

This'll get done when pigs fly.

At one point, the DHT walked over to them, asking them all sorts of questions about how the lessons were, how they were doing, did they think they'd pass any of the exams coming up. They answered honestly:

- The lessons were bad; no control whatsoever,

- Poorly, they never got any help,

- No, their grades had dropped from Bs to Ds since starting her class!

What got to them the most was the fact she had the nerve to ask why they weren't doing revision. At this Gilbert snapped.

"We have been doing the damned revision. The fact that we have to teach each other should be enough of a point that this class sucks! It's not revision as we haven't learnt it until we read the damned text books!"

Blinking, the DHT took some notes and then walked away to ask other pupils the same questions, take notes, and check peoples books.

"Hopefully now they'll see how shit a teacher she is and sack her," Alfred said, looking out the corner of his eyes at Mrs Fine.

"Yeah, but what are they going to do to catch us up?" Arthur said. "It's all well and good sacking the shite teacher, but what are they going to do if we fail? They've just screwed up two years of our school life because they made the mistake in hiring her. How's this going to help us in the long run?"

They all looked sadly at each and sighed. At least the next day was Arthur's birthday; they're camping trip, more time for Arthur to work on his story, and a chance to explore the woods by night, see fireworks, and see if any urban legends really were coming to life…

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: So, here we go. Explanations:**_

_**- The sumo moment:- actually done by my friend Danielle during our many badminton games.**_

_**- Antonio's song:- "She Bangs" by Ricky Martin. Searched in Media by my friend Charlotte, and the lyrics and music fit perfectly!**_

_**- English:- Yes, my class are doing poetry now. Could you tell? Quote of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare. Had to be done.**_

_**- Science:- This actually happened to my class. Except the explosion part. They're finally listening to our complaints! But the fact that my teacher walked away half way through helping my dyslexic friend because the teacher had got pissed because my friend couldn't answer the question right because she couldn't read it and the teacher refused to read for her sort of pissed us off enough to do as the boys just did. -shrugs- S'all good.**_

_**Alfred: -mind crush- uhhhh… Just R&R please… **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Eight**_

Birthdays are funny days. When you're little it's an amazing day; everyone is paying attention to you, you get presents and cards and then there's the cake! When you're older, it seems to be just another day; you get cards, presents, money, and sometimes a bit of cake or some sweets, but other things just seem to get in the way. Being a teenager is confusing enough as it is, so birthdays just add to the confusion; are you too old to get excited about getting presents and cake, or too young to be focused on other things? That was what was going through Arthur's subconscious mind over night and during the early morning.

His sleep was interrupted by something landing on his stomach.

"AH!" he cried, sitting upright, his head bumping into something.

"WOAH!" another voice cried out, seeming to fall backwards making at the weight on Arthur's stomach disappear. Arthur opened his eyes, rubbing his head, and spotted his younger brother, Peter, sat at the foot of his bed.

"Peter?"

"Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, but what are you doing in my room? Is Dad here?"

"Yeah, Mum and Dad are down stairs waiting!"

Arthur got up and rushed down stairs with Peter at his heals. He smiled widely as he spotted his father stood in the living room. Mr Kirkland smiled at his son, opening his arms to hug him. Arthur did so immediately, holding his father tightly having not seen him in months. Arthur then looked in front of the fireplace where a many cards and a few presents were set up surrounded by balloons with the number 16 on. Peter bounced up in front of his brother and pinned a large 16th birthday badge to his pyjamas and smiled at his brother. Arthur ruffled his hair, looking round at his mother. She smiled and motioned him to open his gifts.

It was pretty good!

He got cards from his friends, cousins, and random people he could barely remember from his childhood. In some of the cards, Arthur found different amount of cash ranging from £5 to £30. He then moved onto his presents. From his parents, he received three books. Arthur smiled, realising his parents had remembered him looking at them the last time they had gone to the shops together. _The Da Vinci Code_, _Angels and Demons_, and _The Lost Symbol_. Peter had bought him a big bar of chocolate.

"Thanks!" Arthur smiled, hugging each of them.

He then went back upstairs to get washed and dressed. After putting on his green long sleeved shirt, _My Chemical Romance_ gun jacket, and black jeans, and black Converse sneakers, he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair. As soon as that was done, he went down stairs and began to read _The Da Vinci Code_, waiting for his friends to show up. Because his parents wanted at least part of his birthday to be normal, they had requested that he invite his friends out for a meal. So, now he was sat waiting for Alfred, Kiku, Gilbert, Matthew, Antonio and Francis to show up. Arthur hadn't really invited Francis; he'd over heard and invited himself. Eventually, the doorbell rang and Arthur smiled as Alfred and Matthew entered. They all waited in the living room, Alfred standing up and giving Arthur a package.

"What's this?" Arthur asked.

"Your present, duh!"

Arthur blinked. "You didn't have to get me anything, idiot!"

"Well, I wanted to," Alfred smiled. "I'm the hero, and you're my best friend; kinda goes unsaid that I get you something."

Arthur was speechless for a moment, just looking between Alfred and the present on his lap.

"Well, open it, stupid!"

Arthur did so, smiling as he saw the packages contents. It was a leather-bound notebook, with separate pieces of writing paper and three special pens. Alfred looked awkward as he waited for Arthur's response.

"W-well, I know you like writing, a-and I thought you could use a better place to write than the shitty notebook we were given for Creative Writing," Alfred said, trying to fill the silence. What Alfred wasn't expecting was for Arthur to put the set on the seat, stand up and pull him into a tight hug. Alfred blinked and hugged him back.

"Thank you, Alfred," Arthur mumbled.

"Ah, we 'ave walked in just in time, non?"

The pair jumped and broke apart, faces going bright red. Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio walked into the living room. They were all smiling, but Francis' was more perverted. Gilbert walked over and patted Arthur on the back.

"Happy birthday," he said. "Don't mind Francis. He hasn't been quite right since he found out there were croutons on the salad bar in the restaurant we're going to."

Francis seemed to go into a daze at the word, flopping down onto the sofa and staring off absentmindedly. Matthew shifted away from him, afraid that he'd catch something that was making him act to odd. The others laughed at them.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

The seating went like this:

On one side of the first table sat Alfred, Arthur, Kiku (who had arrived at the same time as Gilbert, Francis and Antonio but had remained very quiet), and Matthew. On the other side was Antonio, Francis and Gilbert. Arthur's parents and Peter were sat at another table nearby.

The boys had ordered their meals, went for the refill option for their drinks (Alfred was especially happy the refills included Pepsi) and had just returned from the salad bar. They were all happily eating at the variety of foods including potato salad and different pastas, when Francis had returned with nothing but a few rolls and a bowl of croutons.

"Bloody fool," Arthur muttered. "It's a fucking salad bar, not a crouton bar!"

"Shut up! I'll eat what I want!"

After a little while of teasing Francis, talking and eating, their food arrived. Each boy had ordered a different dish, so some swapping happened when they had something on their plate that they didn't like and someone else did. Needless to say, all the tomatoes went to Antonio.

Looking at his watch, Arthur saw that it was nearly 5:30pm. They'd agreed that they'd all meet at his house and 6:30pm with camping gear, then head out and start their exploring session. Those with him at that moment had already dropped their stuff off at his house. They just needed to get back there and wait for the others to show up. Arthur looked round at his family. They were all finished. Well, nearly finished; Peter was drinking the last bits of his ice cream from the glass. Mr Kirkland looked up at his son, and nodded that he was about to pay. Arthur smiled and told his friends to get ready to leave.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

The boys were now sat in the living room waiting for everyone to arrive. Arthur had packed the notebook Alfred had given him into his backpack, ready to continue his story inside it. Slowly, people started turning up at around 6:20pm. By the time it got to 6:40pm everyone was there.

The group:

Arthur, Alfred, Matthew, Gilbert, Antonio, Lovino, Feliciano, Ludwig, Kiku, Heracles and Francis.

They all agreed to share the two-man tents that had been brought, meaning Francis would be alone. Much laughter happened about that. After a moment or two of explaining once more to Feliciano, they set off into the night towards the woods.

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Time for that fun explanation time!**_

_**- The books mentioned are by Dan Brown. If you haven't heard of **_The Da Vinci Code_**, then I assume you have spent most of your time in a cave.**_

_**- Arthur's Dad is sort of a representation of my early childhood. My Dad occasionally had to go to different countries to work for a couple of months. He'd always bring me something back and show me all the pictures of the cities and things. He recently went to Hong Kong!**_

_**- The restaurant is my favourite in the world; **_The Harvester_**. I am like Francis on this, however; I always just take the rolls and croutons, often eating the croutons in the rolls.**_

_**- The hoody! Yes, **_MCR_** is an American band. But I don't care. I was listening to them when I was writing this and my friend actually has the hoody!**_

http: / / www. mychemicalromance. com/ shop/ product/ ryblasters-hoody _**(no spaces) Just in case anyone was interested ;]**_

_**Arthur: Reviews are very much welcome! **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Nine**_

Normally, it would take ten or so minutes to walk from Arthur's house to the main gate of the public gardens. But considering the fact the boys were carrying tents and supplies, it took just under 20 minutes. The night air was crisp and cool, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The stars glittered above them as well as the moon. The hill was steep, but the boys moved as quick as they could, all laughing and joking around. At points they'd look over into the cows field next to them, daring each other to climb the fence and walk across the hill. If you crossed to the other side, you could climb another fence and cross through into the gardens right next to the lake, without having to go down the huge hill. As soon as they reached the main gates, the boys wandered down the stone covered path, looking around them as they went. Finally, they reached the top of the hill, looking out at the woods and the lake. The moon was reflected on the surface and they took in the sight with wide eyes. They'd never been able to go to the gardens at night, and if was so much different than during the day. Normally, there would be screaming children running around, with shouting parents chasing them, or rambunctious teenagers trying to pull down the lower branches of the trees. However, this… This was peaceful, tranquil… So much different than usual. The group set up their tents, putting the largest of the lanterns they had brought in the middle to act like a camp fire. As soon as each tent was set up, the boys put their backpacks on the inside of them and sat in front to talk.

"Guys," Heracles said, his head resting sleepily on the shoulder of a blushing Kiku. "What's that thing over there?"

He pointed towards a large, circular stone building a little way behind Alfred and Arthur's tent. It was in fairly good condition, though the grates on the front and back were very rusty and weather worn.

"Ah," Arthur smiled. "That there is the Witch's Hut!"

"The Witch's Hut?" Lovino asked.

"Ve~, Ludwig, that sounds scary!" Feliciano whined, clinging onto said German's arm.

"Let's not freak him out just yet, Arthur," Alfred smirked. "We've got all night!"

The group laughed and relaxed for a while. They'd agreed to go in their pairs (and who ever got stuck with Francis) on their little expeditions. But for now, they would just chill out and enjoy each others company. After a few minutes, Arthur pulled out his new notebook and looked around. He took in the sight of each of his friends, the quiet environment and the sheer silence of the surrounding woods. Putting pen to paper, he continued with his story:

_Usually in a dire situation, the hero would slowly put together the clues. They would piece together whatever events were happening and try to put a stop to any wrong doing and save those they held close. However, a hero often needs help. They can only be what they are needed to be. So, for many days, the group of boys remained oblivious to the strange events surrounding their everyday lives. Not even the most obvious clues could prepare them for the horrors they would soon witness. They had been warned, of course. But, none believed the cold tale of the Autumn Witch. It was just an urban legend, wasn't it? Surely, it was but mere tale to scare the children from the woods at night? They didn't realise how wrong they were…_

Arthur reread what he had just written and smiled. Alfred had actually gotten him a really high quality notebook! He put the notebook back and looked back at his friends again.

Heracles was napping, his head still on Kiku's shoulder; the Japanese boy now reading a Manga. Lovino and Matthew were talking to each other, Gilbert and Antonio play fighting. Feliciano was trying to show Ludwig a few chords of the guitar he had brought with them. Francis was listening to Feliciano play, watching the younger boy. Finally, Arthur looked around at Alfred. The boy had remained abnormally quiet. Smiling, Arthur saw that he was staring up at the sky. His face was calm and seemed to be lost amongst the stars.

"Can we start exploring now?" Lovino asked impatiently.

"Yeah! I wanna go down to the lake, ve~!"

"Sure," said Arthur. "Let's go!"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

The group walked carefully down the hill, trying not to trip and roll into the lake. Once they reached the bottom, the boys split off; half the group going round one side of the lake, the other half going the opposite side. Slowly, the climbed through the bushes, looking around. The grass was thick with weeds and plants, so when everyone met up around the other side, no one noticed that large drop in the ground. They'd stopped though, taking a look around at where they were. Nearby, Arthur heard a noise. Looking round, he slowly walked away from the others. He remained unnoticed until he cried out in shock, falling down a large rut, hidden by the grass. After a moment, he hit the bottom, cutting his forehead on a stone.

"Arthur?" his friends yelled out, looking over the edge of the ledge at him.

"Are you okay, mon amis?" Francis called.

"Are you hurt?" Matthew asked.

Arthur got onto his knees and looked up at them. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Your head's bleeding!" Alfred said.

"It's just a cut," Arthur said. "I'm not going to fucking die or anything!"

Behind him, Arthur heard a faint giggle. He turned around, trying to see where it had come from, but saw no one. He shivered as he felt a breeze, but soon realised that it was too soft and had only blown behind one ear. He jumped to his feet, looking around him.

"Arthur?"

Named looked up at his friends, all of which looked very confused by his actions.

"Didn't you hear or feel that?" Arthur asked.

"Hear or feel what?" Matthew asked.

"Ve~, who's that?"

"I'm Matthew!"

"There was a breeze behind me ear and I could have sworn I heard giggling!" Arthur said.

The others looked at each other, before jumping down into the rut with him. They wandered along it, looking for anyone who would have giggled or made any noise. After a 5 minute walk, they reached some steps. Slowly and carefully, they climbed up them and saw something they never would have thought to have been there.

A graveyard.

Eyes widened at the sight of dozens of gravestones, weeds tangled around them and fungi growing against the forgotten resting places. They wandered slowly amongst the graves, trying to make out different names and dates. Gilbert and Matthew walked closer to one grave, a familiar name coming into focus.

"Arthur! Come here!" Gilbert called.

"What is it?" Arthur asked, joining them. The pair pointed to the gravestone and Arthur leaned forwards to get a closer look:

_Raymond Michael Kirkland : 26th__ October 1845 - 5__th__ November 1861_

_Alexander Thomas Kirkland : 23__rd__ April 1839 - 5__th__ November 1862_

Soon, the whole group were stood staring at the gravestone. Alfred put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, moving to his side and looking closer.

"They're related to me," Arthur whispered. "I remember looking at my family tree one time and seeing their names… I never paid attention to the dates though…"

"Raymond was 16?" Kiku asked.

"And Alexander was 23?" Heracles said.

Arthur nodded. "Apparently. They died the same day. Exactly a year apart."

"Arthur, zey died… today," Francis said, quietly.

"Okay, this is getting freaky!" Lovino said, Feliciano hiding behind him.

"I say we head back to the tents," Ludwig said.

"Agreed," Antonio said, putting his arm around Lovino.

The group head back through the graveyard towards the steps. Arthur was still looking at the grave though. Alfred put his arm around him to steer him away.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get back to the tents!"

"Okay," Arthur mumbled, letting Alfred lead him. He stopped near the steps, however, when he spot a grave covered in a plant unlike anything else in the garden.

"What the?" he mumbled, walking over to the grave. Alfred followed closely behind him, looking too.

"That's Willow Moss, right?" he asked.

Arthur looked up at him, surprised. "Yes, it is. How did you know that?"

"_Supernatural_!" Alfred smiled.

"You and your damned TV shows," Arthur muttered.

"But even you like _Supernatural_!"

"That's beside the point," Arthur snapped. "Okay, then Mister Monster Hunter, where did it say Willow Moss grows?"

"On…" Alfred paused.

"On?"

"On the grave of a witch…"

Arthur paused. He turned back to the tombstone looking it up and down. Oh, this couldn't be good.

"Grab me a stick."

Alfred passed Arthur the stick, which he used to scrape off some of the moss. Both of them backed away as they read the name:

_Willow Autumn : 13__th__ October 1841 - 5th__ November 1862_

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Le gasp! Whatever will they do next? And onto explanations:**_

_**- The public gardens:- The walk and the actual place is right near my home. Even The Witch's Hut! That's up there too!**_

_**-**_Supernatural_**:- Okay, this is one of my all time favourite shows! I just had to add it when I thought about a graveyard scene! New request! Since Zelda hasn't happened yet; if anyone would like to draw Alfred and Arthur as Sam and Dean, I would love you forever! **_

_**K thanks! Reviews please! :3**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Ten**_

The boys hurried to catch up with the others who were climbing up the side of the rut. A few had made it back up onto the grass already, helping those who were struggling to get up too. Arthur spotted something from the corner of his eyes, and shook his head at his friends' idiocy. He pointed out some thick roots to Alfred, before walking over and climbing up them onto the grass. Alfred soon followed, the pair now walking along to help get the others up.

"I can't reach!" Kiku sighed, trying to grab Heracles' hand.

Arthur told him where the roots were, making the group jump as they had not realised that they had gotten up yet. Arthur merely shook his head and waited for Kiku to climb the roots. After they were all together again, they head back up the stone path, taking the steep hill at a steady pace. They could see the light of their 'campfire' still, smiling as they reached that little piece of familiarity. They sat down in front of their tents, looking around at the ever present darkness. Arthur had remained silent the entire walk back. He was stunned. Willow Autumn, the Autumn Witch, had been a real person. She had died on the same day as two of his relatives; in the same year as one too! He was slowly starting to question whether this tale really was just an urban legend. Remembering the descriptions he had been given of Willow, they fit how he could remember the girl running through the woods. He was nervous now. What really happened those nights? For them all to have died on the same day, something must have happened! It just didn't make sense. Alfred looked at Arthur, watching his face. His eyebrows were knitting together, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

_3 guesses about what_, Alfred thought. He continue to observe Arthur silently, watching as he grabbed his notebook and began writing down many notes. Alfred wondered what he could be writing, but decided to let him write and ask later. He turned his attention back to the group, smiling as he watched each of them.

Feliciano had rest his head against Ludwig's shoulder, yawning a little but staying awake. Matthew was blushing as Gilbert found his plush polar bear, Mr Kumajiro. He seemed to think that Gilbert would make fun of him, but to his surprise Gilbert pulled out his own plush, Gilbird, and sat the toys together in between them. This made Matthew blush brighter. Heracles was asleep against Kiku, who was once again reading his Manga. Lovino was sat in between Antonio and Francis, edging closer to Antonio as Francis tried to pull him against him. Antonio hadn't noticed what Francis was doing, but merely smiled each time Lovino got closer. He had Feliciano's guitar on his lap, playing a slow quiet tune as a soundtrack for their evening.

"What time is it?" Feliciano asked, yawning after he said it.

"Uh," Matthew checked his watched. "It's about 9:30pm."

"Seriously! We've been out here _that_ long!" Gilbert laughed.

Through all the laughter and joking, Alfred remembered Arthur's head.

"Arthur, you're head's still bleeding!" he said, drawing each eye to them

Arthur looked up from his notebook, putting his fingertips to the cut.

"So I am," he said, a surprised look on his face. "I completely forgot it!"

"Even with the blood on your face?" Lovino asked. "Surely you felt that!"

"Apparently not."

Francis threw the first aid kit to Alfred who got out a wipe and a bandage. He went to clean up the cut, but Arthur batted his hand away.

"I can do it myself, git!"

"Yeah, but I can see it, so I can sort it quicker!"

"But-"

"Arthur, just shut up and let me," Alfred said, looking his friend full in the face. Arthur huffed, crossing his arms and a pout appearing on his face. Alfred chuckled, cleaning and patching him up. "There now! That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Sniggers rippled through the group, and Arthur huffed again.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, guys!" he grumbled.

"Ah, ze birthday boy is blushing!" Francis teased.

"Fuck you, Frog," Arthur snapped. "I'm only blushing because you guys are laughing at me."

Francis was about to say something back, but everyone got distracted by a sleepy yawn by Feliciano, who fell asleep against Ludwig.

"Aw, fratello fell asleep," Lovino whispered. "Anyone got a marker pen? I feel like drawing a moustache on him!"

"Déjalo en paz, Lovi!" Antonio sighed, shaking his head.

"Damn."

"How about we got to bed?" Arthur suggested. "Of course, you can wander off and explore if you so wish at any point, but I think we should try and at least get an hours sleep."

There were nods of agreement, and the group retired to their separate tents. Arthur got into his sleeping bag, leaving his trainers at the end near the entrance. He was sat up still writing in his notebook. Finally, after having got into his own sleeping bag, Alfred turned onto his side and looked at him. His face was so determined, like he was writing whatever it was down for a life or death situation.

"Hey, Artie?"

"What is it, Alfred?"

"Whatcha writing?"

Arthur turned his attention away from his notebook, a torn expression on his face. It was like he was having an inner battle inside his head. Probably: should I chastise him for his abusive of the English language or ignore it and show him the notebook. Alfred smirked. Okay, now he was going to _castrate_ him.

"Git," Arthur mumbled. "It's 'what are you writing'. And to answer your poorly phrased question, I've been writing down anything and everything I can remember about the tale of Willow Autumn."

"Arthur," Alfred started, looking at his friend with concern. "It's just a legend."

"That grave didn't look like a fucking legend!"

"So the girl actually existed. That doesn't mean she was a witch, or that she's going to come and kill us tonight!"

"Explain the girl in the woods then."

Alfred couldn't. He knew he couldn't. Any of it. The face in the smoke, the strange shadow, the girl… This had to stop. Now.

"Arthur, just don't think on it. Nothing's gunna happen!"

"I've written this down just in case."

Alfred shook his head, lying down fully and closing his eyes.

"Seriously, Arthur, just try to get to sleep. The tent is shut, everyone else is right next to us. Nothing is going to happen."

Arthur looked at him uncertainly. Alfred was never the voice of reason, so this was quiet a surprising situation. After a moment, he smiled and nodded.

"You're right. Let's get to sleep."

Neither of them could sleep though. They tried, of course. But after 20 minutes, they were still awake. Arthur sighed, rolling round so he was facing Alfred. Alfred had done the same, unknowingly, but neither had their eyes open. After a moment, they heard rustling. The tent moved a little, and the rustling got louder.

"A-Arthur?"

"What?"

"What's that noise?"

"Probably just Francis creeping into the tent to molest us."

"Aw, Arthur, you always spoil ze fun!"

Two pairs of eyes shot open, both boys instantly sitting up. Arthur had been joking when he had said that! How the fuck had Francis even got into the tent?

"GET OUT!" they both yelled at the smirking French boy.

"Aw, so zis is not a party for three?"

"OUT!"

Francis chuckled and left the tent. It was no fun being in a tent on his own, so that was how he spent his time! Now bored, having had everyone throw him out of their tent, he decided to go for a wander. Who knows, maybe someone would join him at some point?

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

He'd been walking for 10 minutes, and hadn't found anything worth investigating. It was just seemingly endless woods. Francis decided to go look at the rut again and follow it along in the other direction to see where it went. It was long. That much was certain. It must have had some use in the past, but at that moment he could think of nothing. He just continued to walk. He stopped, however, when he saw something move. He watched the spot, seeing a girl walk out from behind a tree. She looked hurt, all pale skin and wounds. She was wearing a white dress, but it was filthy and torn. She looked as though she had been attacked. Even her red hair was a little matted and messy, and her grey eyes scanned around her, looking terrified.

"Excusez-moi, Madame, êtes-vous bien?" he asked.

The girl looked up at him, hurrying over.

"I don't understand what you just said, but please help me!" she said.

"Of course, sorry, my natural language comes out at wrong times I'm afraid," Francis smiled. "How may I help you?"

"I'm being followed! He hurt me! Tried to hold me under the water in the river!"

"Who?"

"My ex! He's terribly jealous! Please, he's coming!"

Francis looked around as branches snapped and rustling started. He looked at the woman and smiled, taking her hand.

"Of course I'll help~," he smiled. "Let's go!"

After 10 more minutes, Francis and the girl had ran further away. They were close to the path to the main gate, but still in the woods. Francis was out of breath, but the girl seemed undeterred. He turned and looked at her.

"I think you'll be able to run through ze gate from here," he said.

"Ah," she said, her attitude seeming to slowly change from panic to something else. "That's my problem."

"What?"

"I can't leave."

"What do mean?"

"I can't leave the woods. I can go from that side to this side, but I can never leave."

Francis was confused now. What did she mean she couldn't leave? Everyone could leave! The jealous ex would get her if she didn't! Wait, where was that guy? Francis turned to ask her, but instead cried out in pain as something crashed against his chest. The skin was broken, blood pouring out, then the ribs. His breath caught in his chest as more blood poured from him, and something crushed his heart. He fell to the ground. Dead. The girl smiled at him, then licked the huge amount of blood on her hands.

"Sweet," she observed. "But only one has tasted sweeter."

_**Translations:**_

- Fratello:- Brother (Italian)

- Déjalo en paz:- Leave him alone (Spanish)

- Excusez-moi, Madame, êtes-vous bien:- Excuse me, Madam, are you alright? (French)

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Poor Frenchie. We hardly knew ye!**_

_**Arthur: Should I feel sorry or not?**_

_**Me: Respect the dead! So, our lovely ghost has arrived. What will she do next? What connection do the graves hold? Review, fave, alert to find out!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Eleven**_

_Never had he seen a lovelier sight. Blood red hair cascaded down her back, stopping just past her thin shoulder blades. She was a pretty blue dress with white lace, which highlighted her slender frame. Her skin was pale and seemed to have a glow similar to that of the moon. She was walking alone, a basket on her arm full of fruits._

_Raymond sat on the fence outside the woods, watching her with wide blue eyes. On either side of him, his friends (Christopher Lane and Albert Thomas) were also watching the mysterious woman._

"_Who is she?" Raymond asked, running a hand through sandy blonde hair._

"_That's Willow," Albert said. "Willow Autumn, the strange girl who moved into the cottage by the woods a few months back!"_

"_Watching people is boring!" Christopher moaned. "Can we _please_ go do something else?_

"_Fine," Raymond sighed, taking his eyes off of Willow. What he wouldn't do to get a girl like that to be his! The group began to walk away, Raymond jumping down from the fence. They were nearing the road when they heard a noise behind them._

"_Oh no!"_

_They turned around, seeing Willow kneeling down trying to gather up the fruits that had fallen from her basket. The handle seemed to have broken away at one joint causing the basket to fall from her arm. Raymond looked at his friends who rolled their eyes._

"_You're going to help her, aren't you?" Albert said._

"_A gentleman always helps a lady in need," Raymond replied, smirking._

"_More like you want to help her out of her clothes!" Christopher laughed._

_Raymond shook his head, turning away from his friends and hurrying to help the unfortunate girl up the path. He picked up some fruit on the way, crouching down and helping her with the basket. She looked up at him, surprise showing through strange grey eyes._

"_I couldn't help but notice you needed some assistance," Raymond said, smiling kindly._

"_And you thought that you'd just walk over and help?" Willow replied, still suspicious._

"_Don't worry," Raymond smiled. "That's all I'm doing. I don't like seeing something I know I can help with."_

_Willow smiled. "Well, you're the first say that to me."_

"_Manners are slowly becoming somewhat of a mystery to people," Raymond said, shrugging. He helped put the remaining fruits into the basket, picking it up. "Allow me."_

_Willow smiled again. "9 months here, and you're the first true gentleman I have met." She linked her arm with his and began to lead him towards her home._

_20 minutes later, they stopped outside a small stone cottage. A low stone wall surrounded a quaint little garden, a brown wooden gate in line with the front door along a pebbled path. Beyond the small building you could see the vast acres of the forest._

"_Wow," Raymond mouthed, eyes wide taking in all of the beauty the strange hidden place had to offer. Willow walked ahead, through the gate. Half way up the path, she turned back to Raymond and smiled._

"_Would you be a dear and put the basket on the kitchen table for me," she said, snapping Raymond out of his daze. The blonde boy smiled and entered, following Willow inside._

_Inside the house was pretty. The kitchen was right next to the living room, everything having pale blue walls. The sofa was white, set on wooden floors. Two doors were set about two metres apart, and Raymond assumed they'd be either the bathroom or her bedroom. Knowing he should be getting home soon, Raymond hurried over to the kitchen table and set the basket down as Willow had asked. All the while, said woman was watching her younger guest with curious eyes. He was handsome in the conventional sense of the term, but there was something about him that caught Willow's attention. Normally, she would have to do _extra work_ to get the attention of a man and lure him back to her home. But just by pure coincidence, she came across someone who genuinely wished to just help her. It was refreshing. She smiled to herself, taking in all of the boy's appearance. He wasn't too tall; he looked about 5'9. He was thin, not like he hadn't been eating, but that nice middle state where he was neither skeletal nor muscled. Most peculiar were the boys eyebrows. They were so thick! But, they oddly suited him, making him more appealing. Willow took a deep breath, walking forwards towards him. Raymond turned once he had done his small task. Smiling, he held out his hand for her to shake._

"_I remembered that I hadn't introduced myself," he said. "My name is Raymond. Raymond Kirkland."_

"_Willow. Willow Autumn."_

"_Well, Miss Autumn, now that I'm certain you're alright, I will be heading home," he said, bowing his head slightly. He went to walk towards the door, but before he could get there a hand grabbed his own. He looked at the now frightened looking woman before him, confused by her sudden change in attitude. She looked close to tears._

"_P-please stay for a while," she whispered. "I'm always on my own, and there's a man out in the woods. I heard him occasionally, and he frightens me. I just don't want to be alone for a little while."_

_Raymond blinked. He really should be getting home, but the sight of this poor woman made his heartbreak. He nodded, putting his other hand on her arm._

"_Don't worry, I'll stay a little while longer," he smiled. "But I must be getting home soon. My mother will begin to worry."_

_Willow smiled at him, leading him to the sofa. He sat down, and she asked if he would like something to drink for helping her. He replied that water would suffice, smiling kindly at her. Willow returned a moment later, two glasses in her hands. Raymond took his, thanking Willow, and sipped._

"_So, Raymond," Willow asked. "I'm curious. How old are you?"_

"_My age? I turned 16 ten days ago," he said, taking another sip of his drink._

"_16? Really? You look so much more mature than 16!"_

"_Thank you."_

"_Would care to know my age?"_

"_Uh… The thought crossed my mind, but I thought it rude to ask."_

"_I turned 20 twenty-three days ago," Willow smiled._

"_Well, congratulations," Raymond smiled in return, raising his glass a little._

_They sat in silence for a while, just listening to the sounds of the outside world. Raymond continued to sip his drink, however Willow had not touched hers. She seemed to be waiting patiently for something, though Raymond couldn't tell what. Suddenly, his chest constricted. He couldn't breath. Coughing and spluttering, he dropped his now empty glass, both hands clutching against his chest and collarbone. Willow held onto his shaking body as he fell off the sofa onto the floor._

"_Shhhh," she hushed, holding him against her. "Hush now. It'll all be okay. I promise."_

_Shaking for a moment longer, Raymond slipped into unconsciousness._

_An hour later, he awoke on an unfamiliar bed. He looked around, trying to make out anything familiar or remember where he was. Then, he looked down and saw he had no shirt on. Freaking out a little now, he sat up but instantly felt dizzy. He fell back against the covers, taking deep breaths. After a moment, the door opened and Willow walked into the room carrying a wooden box. She looked over at Raymond and smiled._

"_Aw, you're awake! I thought you'd never open your eyes!"_

"_W-what happened?" Raymond asked, his voice breaking through a sharp dry throat._

"_You passed out."_

"_Why am I shirtless and why does my head feel like lead?"_

"_All in good time, my sweet."_

_Raymond was scared. This woman, this _helpless_ girl who had seemed so afraid earlier was planning something evil. He could tell._

"_My brother knows I'm out still," he said. "He'll come looking for me."_

"_He'd be more than welcome to join us," Willow smirked._

_Okay, she was insane. Raymond watched as she put candles in each corner of the room, all of them lighting instantly as she walked away. After a while, she crawled onto the bed and straddled him. He looked up at her, frightened. However, Willow looked excited. Her normally grey eyes flashed with hints of crimson. Before he knew what was happening, she bit down on the nape of Raymond's neck. He cried out in pain. This wasn't a sexual action. No, she had drawn blood. She was licking the wounds, but it brought no pleasure. She was scratching and clawing at his chest, so much she was cutting through the skin, past muscle and against bones. Raymond was yelling in agony. She didn't stop. She kissed him roughly, biting on his bottom lip. This drew more blood. Raymond couldn't move through pain and whatever had happened earlier. He was bleeding heavily, too heavily. After what seemed like an eternity, his blue eyes connected with grey. Willow hesitated. She was looking the boy bellow her with an uneasy doubt clawing at her._

"_Why?" Raymond whispered, voice not able to get much louder. His eyes were slowly closing, death slowly taking him away._

"_Instinct," Willow muttered against his bleeding mouth. She felt his last breath leave him, closing her eyes. She licked up some of the more prominent streams of blood, an internal battle going through her head. Why had this boy been so difficult to kill? Maybe because he was the first who had good intentions in his mind. The first to see her as an equal. The first to offer help and not try and take something else. She looked at his blood splattered face. He looked too peaceful to have had something so horrible just happen to him. She licked the blood from his face, using a tissue to dab away her saliva. His blood was sweet. The sweetest she had ever tasted. And that was a lot. Normally, there was a tang to blood. Something she knew was just lust and sexual intentions making the blood warmer, bitter. Apparently, good intentions made the blood sweeter. A good heart. Yes, the boy had a good heart. He had mentioned a mother, and a brother. They would be worried about him by now. Sighing, Willow waved her hands over the boys body. He slowly disappeared from under her. Normally, she would send the body of her victim to the room at the end of the tunnel in the woods. However, this boy was special. Though she wanted to keep him, she felt like sending him to somewhere his searching brother would easily find him was better fitting for the sweet young man who had innocently helped the Wicked Witch._

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_He knew. Alexander knew when his little brother had died. Something just seemed to strike him in his mind. He tried to deny it, but when that feeling started to make him feel sick, he rushed from the living room he had been sat in with his mother and father, grabbed his coat and left the house._

"_Alexander," his mother called. "Just where are you going?"_

"_To look for Raymond," Alexander replied. "I just… I don't know, but I know something's not right."_

"_Just… just bring him home," his mother sighed. "And be safe, dear."_

"_I will, mother."_

_It didn't take him too long to find Raymond. However, when he did, he couldn't believe his eyes. His brother. His baby brother was… It was too disgusting to describe. He looked like he had been torn to shreds. Blood poured from him from many different wounds, some of which were so deep you could see bone. Alexander felt like he was going to throw up. He knelt beside his brother, tears slipping down his face. A man of merely 22 years of age, Alexander had seen death before. But they were grandparents and other elderly relatives or acquaintances of his parents. But this… His 16 year old brother, so much younger than himself, so inexperience in life, had now be stripped of his life and left on the cold streets. Alexander carried him home, the tears coming heavier and never-ending._

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_Raymond had always loved the forest. He had practically grown up there. So, it seemed only fitting that he would be buried there. The funeral was quiet. Everyone was just stunned that he was dead. Christopher and Albert had remained silent about that day. They were stunned. They felt as though they should have stayed with him. They had told the family and the police what they knew: Raymond had went to help Willow Autumn with her broken basket and they didn't see him again. Raymond's killer still remained unknown though. The police didn't arrest Willow. Apart from the boys' statements, their was no evidence to connect Willow to the murder. Alexander knew though. He could tell by her behaviour that she had killed his little brother. However, he couldn't focus on proving her guilt as he had to plan and arrange the funeral as his father tried to keep his mother calm and less stressed. She was pregnant with twins, so all of the agony and stress she was feeling for the loss of her son couldn't be doing them any good._

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_One year later…_

_Alexander and the other townsfolk had arranged a plan, and Alexander had volunteered to be bait. It wasn't like he was wishing to die. No. He felt like he needed to do this. To bring his brother's killer to justice. Willow had become more distant to the town than before, but the disappearances continued to happen. They had only started when she arrived, yet because there were bodies or any evidence, nothing could be done to stop her._

_Bidding farewell to his mother, who was on the floor of the living room playing with the twins, grabbed his coat as he had done on that night exactly one year previous and head out into the night. Slowly, other men joined him outside, including his father. The plan was set, and the townsfolk stayed hidden, watching as Alexander walked past Willow's home. The woman was sat in her garden, wearing a white dress. She looked up as Alexander walked past. She thought he looked sad, his green eyes staring straight ahead, red hair being blown gently by the autumn breeze and she thought of Raymond. They were similar, in a few ways like build. She sighed, her feeling in her chest increasing. She needed to kill. Tonight. And that man looked like the perfect target._

_Alexander knew the plan was working. He could sense her behind him, a good distance away. He walked into the forest, heading for the graveyard along the deep path that had been carved into the ground. He climbed the stone steps and walked towards his brother's grave. Placing flowers onto the grave, he leant forwards and ran his finger tips along his brothers eternally engraved name. Sighing, he turned and blinked. Willow was looking at him, a sad expression on her face._

"_Good evening, Miss Autumn," Alexander said politely. "What brings you all the way out here at this hour?"_

"_I felt like a walk," she said. "But, I saw you and instantly knew you'd need some company." She walked forwards and put her hand on his arm. "I know that you must hear this often, but I'm truly sorry for your loss." She looked at the grave sadly. "I can't believe it's been a year already."_

"_Thank you," Alexander sighed. "It has been tough. Mother's not got over it, and with the twins around now, it's been quite a trying year."_

"_Raymond was a sweet boy," Willow said, her voice seeming to drift as she remembered a distant memory. "He helped me out that day. Carried my broken basket home for me. I offered him a drink of water as repayment, but he refused. Said he needed to return home, but the offer was enough. He smiled and left… If he'd have stayed… Maybe he wouldn't be here now…"_

_How sick was this girl? Alexander _knew_ she did it! Yet here she was telling this tale of his brother's life before…_

_Alexander shook with rage, but kept his cool. He knew the townsfolk were around there somewhere, they were watching…_

_Willow smiled softly at Alexander. She took his hand._

"_Come on," she whispered. "You shouldn't stay here all the time."_

_He let her pull him out towards the lake. She looked up at the sky and pouted. Clouds kept floating past the bright glowing moon. Alexander looked too, then down at the reflection on the lake. He had no time to react. Her hand crashed through his skin and ribs, tearing him open. He screamed in agony, terror and horror. He was right. She broke open his ribs, lying him down on the grass. He panted, gurgling as blood poured from his wound and his mouth. She kissed him firmly on the lips, taking in as much blood as she could._

"_Sweet, like your brothers'" she observed. "But with a hint of sour that could mean only one thing… Hate."_

_Alexander spat his blood at her. "Of course it's hate! You bitch, you murdered Ray!"_

"_Don't worry, you'll be with him soon, dear."_

_She waved her hands and sent his body to the room in the tunnel. She licked her hands clean, walking down to the tunnel herself. She still remained unaware that she was being followed. Once inside, she smiled wickedly at Alexander. He was leaning against the wall, life slowly draining from him. But his eyes were darting between the many skeletons in there. Each one belonging a man she had murdered._

"_Why did you leave Raymond in the street and not here?"_

_Willow looked up from the body she was stood over, surprised by the question. She seemed to remember that night again, finally answering Alexander._

"_He was different. He was drawn to me because he had a good soul. The others were scum. They wanted my body. He just wanted to help."_

"_Why am I here, then? I didn't want anything from you."_

"_You're here because I need another body."_

"_Huh?"_

_Willow ignored him, pulling a bone away and putting into a bowl in which she started to crush the bone into dust. "You're brother was the exception that proved the rule."_

_Alexander was too weak to answer. He knew he was going to die. His eyes were half closed, but he watched as the townsfolk stormed inside, dragging Willow outside as she screamed. His father rushed over to him, holding him close._

"_ALEXANDER!" he cried. "Alex, oh Alex! Whatever made you volunteer?" _

_Alexander merely smiled weakly at his father. "Don't be sad, father. I'm going to see Raymond again… We did it… We got her…"_

_He slipped away…_

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Drama… Written through a Maths lesson, a Creative Writing class, and when I got home from school! I don't know why, but I wrote this easily because I kept **_I Write Sins Not Tragedies _**by **_Panic At The Disco_** on repeat. -shrugs- What will happen now? Why did I add this scene? Review, Fave and Alert to find out next chapter! Thanks for all the reviews so far!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Twelve**_

Arthur awoke with a yell. His eyes shot open, he was sat upright, and his breathing was deep. He felt as though all the air had been stolen from his lungs. He clutched at his chest, trying to regain his breath and remember what he had seen. Raymond looked exactly like him. He had Peter's blue eyes, but everything else was Arthur; hair, face, build, EYEBROWS! Well, at least he knew who to blame for those now. And Alexander! He had a similar build to him too! Plus, his eyes were exactly like Arthur's! Willow had killed them both; she _was_ a witch, but she had been hesitant with Raymond, though…

"Arthur?"

Arthur jumped. Turning his head, breath slowly returning to normal, he remembered that he was sharing the tent with Alfred. The younger boy sat up, eyes wide, watching his friend. When Arthur didn't answer, merely continuing to clutch his chest, breath oddly and shake, Alfred moved closer to him and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Arthur, speak to me," he said, worry evident in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"W-we are in t-trouble," Arthur whispered, his breath finally back to normal.

"What?"

"I know what happened," Arthur whispered, not looking at Alfred. "She killed them…"

Alfred stared at Arthur. "Arthur, I'm sure it was just a dream-"

"It wasn't 'just a dream'!" Arthur snapped. "Something bad is happening! I know it!"

"Arthur!" Alfred whinged, trying to keep the boy in his sleeping bag. Arthur, however, had managed to get out of his grip and climb out of the tent. He'd somehow managed to put his trainers back on, and was now pulling a torch from the box they'd left outside. The other boys were peaking out of their tents, all looking confused by the noise. Arthur turned on the torch, shining it around.

"Ve~, what're you doing?" Feliciano asked.

"Why are you making so much noise?" Heracles yawned.

Arthur ignored them, though, pointing his torch at Francis' tent. The tent was open, so Arthur moved nearer, looking inside cautiously.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Antonio asked.

"He's convinced something bad has happened or is going to happen," Alfred sighed. Arthur ignored them again, looking around the inside of the tent. It was empty, and unused. He looked around at them, uneasy and nervous.

"Did anyone see where Francis went?" he asked.

"Isn't he in his tent?" Matthew asked, leaving his tent like the others were.

Arthur shook his head. "Was Alfred and mine's tent the last he went into?"

"He came into all of ours, but your's was the only one we heard him go to," Gilbert said.

"Hmmm," Arthur said, turning away from them and pointing the torch towards the woods. "I did say about exploring… You don't suppose he would venture off alone, do you?"

"Maybe; he's not the brightest crayon in the pack," Lovino said.

Arthur nodded in agreement. But, the same thought was buzzing through all of their heads: where the hell had Francis gone? They all looked at each other as Arthur scanned the edges of the woods. This was getting too freaky now. First the graves, and now Francis was missing. What else was going to happen?

"I think we should search for him," Kiku said.

"Yeah, we can't just leave him out there alone," Alfred said. "What if he's hurt?"

"Just now you were saying I was dreaming," Arthur said, not looking at him. "Now you're the one suggesting foul play."

Alfred looked at his back, an awkward expression on his face. "Sorry, Arthur…"

"Save it."

"Arthur, where should we look first?" Ludwig asked. "This place has to be hundreds of acres! He could be anywhere!"

"Well, speaking from experience," Arthur started. "I know that once something has caught his attention in some way, Francis will try to find out more about it."

"What experience have you had of that?" Feliciano asked.

"I'd have thought everyone's had the same experience just knowing him," Arthur said.

"So, where do you think he'd have gone?" Antonio asked.

"The rut."

"The rut?" Gilbert asked. "OH! Just that pervert to go for the big crack in the ground!"

They all chuckled, before heading off towards the rut. They'd all grabbed torches like Arthur had, turning them in and shining them around. Every so often, they called out his name, trying to get his attention. They got nothing but silence and echoes as replies. With nods to each other, they split off into pairs to search a greater area.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

A little while later, Ludwig and Feliciano were walking around a derelict and dark area of the woods. Feliciano was clinging to Ludwig's arm, his other hand shakily pointing the torch around.

"F-Francis?" he called.

"Francis?" Ludwig called shortly after. "Where could that idiot be?"

"Ve~, I don't know! Ludwig, this place is scary! Can we go back to the tent now?"

Ludwig looked down at the frightened Italian, and sighed. Before he could speak though, a noise happened, like a branch breaking, and he turned to look. Feliciano had heard it too, clinging tighter to the German. Ludwig unhooked his arm from Feliciano's grip, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Stay here," he said. "I'll be back in a minute."

He then walked away from Feliciano, who watched him walk off, shaking harder than ever. Every so often, he would he a branch snapping or a rustle of leaves, but he never saw anything. He jumped, catching something moving from the corner of his eye. The Italian turned a looked, moving hesitantly towards the movement. After a moment, he came to a clearing and saw someone lying on the ground. They were small, with blonde hair under a black hat. He was wearing a black jacket and trousers. He looked around the same age as Feliciano. The boy walked towards the unconscious person, trying to get a better look at his face. He seemed familiar somehow… That's when he realised who it was. Running away from the scene, Feliciano headed back to the camp sight. He was crying, calling out to the others. Arthur, Alfred, Lovino, Antonio and a frantic-looking Ludwig ran over to him. Feliciano held onto his brother, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Feli!" Lovino said, stunned at his brother. "What's wrong? Did you see Francis?"

Feliciano shook his head. He was still sobbing, so muttered against Lovino's shoulder. "I s-saw… H-Horatio…"

"Horatio?" Antonio asked, looking up at Ludwig. "Horatio Rocio-Empirio? You're cousin?"

"Feli, Hari's been missing since we were 7," Ludwig said. "Why would he suddenly be seen here?"

"It was him!" Feliciano sobbed. "I know it!"

Everyone looked back towards the woods. Was there really the body of one of their old friends in there?

"Where was he?" Arthur asked.

"In line with us. Just run in a straight line from here."

"Okay, we'll go check," Alfred said.

They ran into the woods, going in the straight line Feliciano had said. They shone their torches around, trying to spot Hari or Francis. They saw no one. Eventually, they gave up their search, and ran back to the campsite where everyone was no gathered around a sobbing Feliciano. They all looked up as Arthur and Alfred ran towards them. Feliciano and Ludwig looked most anxious. But, when heads were shook, the pair looked disheartened. Feliciano broke into more sobs, and Ludwig tried to keep up his stoic appearance, though pain was showing through his eyes.

"There was no one in there," Arthur said.

"But I saw him!"

"I'm not saying you didn't," Arthur sighed. "I'm just saying he's not there now."

They sat outside their tents once more, Ludwig trying to calm Feliciano down. They were all freaking out now. First, they find graves related to Arthur, then Francis goes missing, and now there's been a sighting of someone who had been missing for 8 years. What else could go wrong?

_**Note:**_

_**Me: Oh, no! Not the dreaded question of doom!**_

_**Arthur: What?**_

_**Alfred: NO! NO! SOMETHING IS GOING TO GO WRONG!**_

_**Arthur: Oh, that…**_

_**Me: -smirking- So, what will happen next to the boys? Same as usual guys: review, fave, alert! ^_^ Oh! And brownie points to whoever spots the hidden joke! I'll reveal it next chapter and the first person to guess right! **_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Bump in the Night **_

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

An uneasy silence settled over the group as they sat outside their tents. Feliciano was still crying against Ludwig, the German looking torn. Nobody knew what to do or what to say. Francis was still missing, Hari might be out there too, and Arthur knew things were only going to get worse. All the others thought it was just a bad situation or Francis pulling a prank. Arthur, however, knew differently. His 'frenemy' was missing and a missing boy had been spotted; that added to the dream, the shadow, and the mystery girl, Arthur was certain the legend was true and that they were in an all too real danger. They needed to leave, but they wouldn't without Francis.

"I think half of us should go search," Antonio stated, breaking the silence.

"I agree," Ludwig said.

"I say Matt, Kiku, Feliciano, Lovino and Arthur stay here," Gilbert said, "and Antonio, Ludwig, Heracles, Alfred and I should go search."

There was a slight debate over this statement (mainly Lovino and Arthur asking why they couldn't go), but things were settled and the search party set off into the woods once more to search for Francis and Hari.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Somehow, the woods had grown creepier than they normally were. The trees loomed over them, dropping dying leaves onto their shoulders and heads. The breeze was making things move, making them jump and on edge. They still couldn't find Francis or Hari, and things were getting freakier and freakier the deeper they got into the woods. Alfred was shaking, muttering to himself that the noises weren't by ghosts. Ludwig was scanning every last inch of the area, trying to find any sign of anyone. Heracles kept yawning, but was more alert than he had ever been, eyes flickering in every direction. Gilbert was trying not to look scared, but was truly terrified, looking around everywhere as noises continued to happen, and Antonio was wandering off in a completely different direction as the others, following a sudden feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was pulling him in that direction, and he couldn't help but follow it. The others had no idea that he was walking away from them, continuing to head in their original direction. Pushing through some bushes, Antonio came out onto on opening for a new lake. It was different; more green and filthy. By the looks of it, it connected to the little stream behind the graveyard. Antonio walked out towards the lake, looking around. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary; it was just another lake. Realising that he was on his own, Antonio looked behind him, deciding that he would try and find the others. Walking back towards the trees, something caught his eyes near the bank of the lake. He turned, not believing his eyes. He hurried over and looked down at a sight that made his stomach churn.

"No…"

It was Lovino. Well, it looked like Lovino. There was so much blood over him, so many cuts and bruises, that he was almost unrecognisable. But Antonio could tell. He backed away from the body. Shaking his head, he walked backwards towards the trees.

That couldn't be his Lovi. It couldn't. He was still at the campsite with the others. He had to be. Yes, he wanted to go searching too, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to go off on his own would he?

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Having watched the others walk into the woods not long ago, the remaining members of the group sat down in front of their tents and looked around from where they were. Feliciano was clutching onto Lovino's arm, the latter trying to push him off. Kiku and Matthew moved to sit near Arthur, causing the Italians to move too. They were all nervous, looking around and trying to spot their friends. They knew they were going to be gone for a while, but that didn't stop them from hoping they'd be back at any second. No one could shake the feeling that something was watching them.

"Guys, what do you think happened to Francis?" Matthew asked.

"I have no idea," Kiku said. "It's very unlike him to go missing for this long."

"You don't think something really bad has happened to him, do you?" Feliciano said, his voice shaking.

"Something tells me we'll find out before the night is over," Lovino said, looking around them.

Arthur had remained silent the whole time, watching one certain spot. Something was moving, and Arthur had a suspicion about what that thing was. As soon as the others were distracted with food and looking in another direction, Arthur wandered towards the trees. He walked deeper and deeper inside, until more movement made him turn.

There, with her back turned to him, was the girl. The same one. Willow. She turned around, eyes widening slightly.

"I wasn't seeing things all those nights ago," she said, walking towards Arthur. The blonde started to move back a little, but Willow caught him by his jacket. She looked at him closely. "I would ask if you are Raymond, but I know that is not the case. You look exactly like him, but you have his brother's eyes."

Arthur remain silent, taking in all of the woman's appearance. She was deathly pale, red hair brighter than he had seen in his dream, yet she was still unearthly beautiful.

"You must be a descendant of theirs," Willow said. "Another Kirkland?"

Arthur couldn't help but nod.

"Can't you speak?"

"Yes, I can speak."

"What is your name?"

"A-Arthur."

"Arthur? Arthur Kirkland. That has a pretty ring to it," she smiled.

"Thanks?" Arthur asked uncertainly. He tried to pull away again, but Willow was stronger than him. She kept a hold of his jacket, looking so closely at him. Arthur felt uneasy, and a little sick with nervousness. Why had he decided to go off on his own? He was mentally kicking his stupidity when he felt a pair of lips on his own. His eyes widened as Willow kissed him, stunned into a frozen state. He stared at her when she pulled away and smiled.

"It's been a long time since I'd done that," she said.

Before Arthur could react, Willow was dragging him away. He tried to break free, but she was surprisingly strong. After a while, he recognised where they were.

The tunnel.

Willow dragged him inside, pushing him up against the wall, pinning him there, as they got into the room. Arthur looked around, seeing the familiar aspects of it from his dream, but the grate at the back was new.

"They added that to help the river flow through once it had been discovered," Willow said, noticing Arthur's eye line. "It's helped decompose the few bodies I've managed to collect."

"D-did you-"

"What? Bring your little French friend here? No. He's still in the woods near the gate."

"You…"

"Killed him. Yes. But, he wasn't who I was waiting for."

"What?"

"I've been very lonely out here on my own each night. But, then I spotted you! Raymond's body with Alexander's lovely eyes. You must have seen me watching you for a while! The smoke? The shadow?"

"I did…"

"You are exactly like Raymond. So kind, passionate. There's a little spell I know that I can perform as soon as I have had enough blood. And your friends are the perfect buffet!"

"NO!"

"Yes, Arthur. They'll all help keep you here with me forever."

"But you can't keep me here forever, I'll die one day or be found."

"Oh, you'll die, my sweet," Willow smiled. "The spell is to keep your spirit here like mine."

Arthur's eyes widened. Before he could do anymore, he lurched forwards as a sharp pain shot through his body. He spat blood from his mouth, feeling more blood flowing from a wound on his right side. Willow let go of him, letting him splash into the water. She watched as he crawled into corner, clutching at his side, shaking and bleeding.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But it has to be this way."

She then left the room, walking along the tunnel to get back to the camp.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Antonio turned away from the body, running back through the trees. He had no idea what direction he was heading in, he was just hoping he would get out on to the outside to see the camp or the others. Finally, he reached the outside of the forest, looking up the hill at the camp. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the other members of the search party run from the trees nearby. He looked at them, terror evident on his face.

"Antonio!" Gilbert yelled, gripping the Spaniard by the shoulders. "What the _fucking_ hell were you playing at?"

"We freaked out when you went missing!" Alfred bellowed.

Antonio couldn't speak, he just pushed them out of his way, running up the hill. The others followed, now even more scared by how he was acting. The Spaniard felt a weight lift off of him as he saw Lovino sat having a drink and staring out at the lake. The Italian looked up at Antonio, smirking by his frightened expression.

"What happen? You see a ghost?" he joked.

Antonio dropped down in front of him, pulling the boy into a tight hug. Lovino blushed, but hugged him back; worried about Antonio himself now.

"Toni? What's wrong?" he asked.

"I… I saw you… d-dead…" Antonio sobbed against him. "B-by s-second l-lake…"

"But it wasn't me, moron," Lovino said. "I've been here the whole time! I'm right here now!"

Antonio nodded, but didn't let him go.

The other members of the search party joined them on the hill a moment later, looking at the pair with concern. What was going on around here? Alfred sat down next to Matthew, looking around the group. That's when he realised it.

"Guys," he said. "Where's Arthur?"

Silence.

"He was here a moment ago," Matthew said. "I saw him!"

"Then where is he now?" Alfred asked.

They searched each of the tents, finding now sign of him. Now everyone was freaking out. Arthur had disappeared from straight under their noses. What were they going to do now?

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Arthur lent against the wall, breathing deeply and shakily. He was shivering, the water from the flowing river being freezing cold. Blood was staining his clothes, and he kept on coughing up more. He was certain no one was going to find him. He was going to die there. No one would ever know.

"Don't be such a defeatist!" a familiar voice said.

Arthur jumped looking round as two people walked towards him. It was like looking in a mirror when the speaker walked into the light. Raymond smiled at Arthur, kneeling down next to him.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "We're here to help."

"That bitch has taken too much from this family," Alexander said, kneeling down too. Arthur looked at them with wide eyes.

"I'm hallucinating, right?" he asked, blood slipping from his mouth a little.

"No, you're not," Raymond smiled, using his thumb to wipe away the blood. Arthur felt his touch, ice cold but warming at the same time.

"I'm going to die here, aren't I?"

"Not if we can help it," Alexander said defiantly.

"We'll stick by you," Raymond smiled. "Well, Alex will. I have a job to do."

Arthur nodded. He felt them embrace him, so he hugged back.

"We can't let our great nephew die like we had," Alexander smiled. "Not when we can finally stop her."

"How though? She'll kill my friends," Arthur said weakly.

"Simple; trap her in the hut," Raymond said.

"It was built for a reason," Alexander said. "Lock her in there, and she's gone forever."

Arthur nodded again. Alexander pulled Arthur against him, holding him closely, whilst Raymond stood and walked to the tunnel.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll bring help. Your face should be convincing enough." He winked then left. Arthur rest his head against Alexander, who stroked his hair rocking them gently.

"It'll all be okay," he soothed. "Just try and stay awake."

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: And so everything went from bad to super bad!**_

_**Arthur: Wow.**_

_**Me: Okay! The hidden joke! Death's-Glance was pretty close, however the correct guess was by Roxprincess741: **_Horatio Rocio-Empirio = HRE = Holy Roman Empire _**Yeah, so brownie points go to her! Use them wisely! Please continue to be the awesome readers you are and review, fave and alert! Thank you!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

The group were officially freaking out now. First Francis, now Arthur? Were they all going to be picked off, one by one? The suspense was killing them, all of them looking around from the camp, trying to spot any direction that Arthur could have gone in.

Alfred was taking it the worst. His best friend was missing, gone, vanished without a trace! Fear be damned, he needed to find him, whether that meant as a group or on his own. He looked round the group, all of them looking terrified. Antonio hadn't let go of Lovino, Feliciano looked close to tears again, _Ludwig_ was shaking a little, Gilbert had his arm around Matthew trying to keep himself and Matthew calm, and Kiku and Heracles were sat together frightened expressions on their faces.

"I have to go look for him," Alfred said finally. He received incredulous looks.

"Are you fucking insane?" Gilbert snapped.

"You are not going alone!" Matthew cried.

"I have to go and look for him!"

"If we can't find Francis, hyper, eccentric, Francis, what makes you can find Arthur?" Gilbert yelled.

"BECAUSE I KNOW ARTHUR!" Alfred snapped. "I know him, and I know I can find him."

He stared around at each of them, as if daring them to argue with him. When he got no reply, he nodded and grabbed a torch. Turning it on, he pointed it around, seeing something move in the trees. Blinking a few times, he turned to the others.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"The movement?" Matthew asked. "Yeah, I saw it."

"Good or bad?"

"Depends on whether it's gunna hurt us or not," Lovino said.

Alfred turned back towards the woods. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk towards the trees. He felt a hand on his arm, pulling him around again. Matthew was holding his brother's arm tightly, a look of terror on his face.

"Alfred," he said. "B-be careful. I don't want to lose you."

"I will, Mattie," Alfred smiled, hugging his brother. He let him go and entered the woods without a second glance.

He didn't know how long he had been walking, but Alfred was getting deeper and deeper into the woods. He hadn't seen anymore movement, but kept checking in all directions just in case. After a while, he came out into a clearer. That's when the movement happened again. Alfred stopped. He shone the torch all around him, until it stopped on a bush moving. He stayed absolutely still, uncertain as to whether whatever was making the bush move was dangerous or not. Finally, something came out. More than something, really. It appeared to be Arthur.

"Arthur!" Alfred said, making the person look up. He went to move forwards, but something didn't seem right. He looked like Arthur; same build, face, eyebrows. But he was wearing different clothes, and his eyes were blue. The Arthur look-a-like stared at him for a moment, before speaking.

"I'm not Arthur."

"What?"

"My name is Raymond."

"Raymond?" That's when it hit him. "The Raymond from the graveyard? Arthur's ancestor?"

"Yes," Raymond said, walking forwards. Alfred moved back a little so he stopped. "Please, don't be afraid of me. I'm here to help."

"Yeah, right," Alfred scoffed.

"I am!"

"Wait, if you're here does that mean?"

"Willow?"

"Yeah… Oh God, she got Arthur didn't she!"

"Sort of," Raymond started to explain.

"What do you mean sort of? She either did or didn't!"

"She's kidnapped him. He's dying, Alfred, she's making him bleed out."

"No…" Alfred whispered. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Call me telepathic."

"So, where is he? He's not on his own is he? Or at least has someone other than that bitch."

"Alexander is with him," Raymond said. "Follow me."

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

The minutes ticked by slowly. Too slowly. The group sat outside their tents, just waiting for Alfred, or Arthur, or Francis to return. Primarily all three, but to just see one of their faces would give them some reaffirmed hope. Matthew was leaning against Gilbert, shaking with fear and nerves. He wanted his brother back. He wanted to know he was safe. This had started out as such a lovely night, but then… It was just getting too much.

Lovino was dozing off against Antonio, the Spaniard having not let him go still. He was partially awake, eyes slightly open.

That's when he spotted something.

"Guys, what's that?" he asked sleepily, pointing towards the lake.

They all stood and had a look.

A woman with red hair and torn clothes was standing at the edge of the lake. She was looking at her reflection across the water. Then, she turned and smiled at the boys before disappearing. Now they were terrified.

"Where'd she go?" Feliciano asked, holding onto Ludwig's arm.

"Das kann nicht gut sein…" Gilbert whispered. He felt a hand grip the back of his shirt, suddenly finding himself crashing against a tent. "FUCK!"

Panic started, every running for cover as the Autumn Witch started her attack, her hunt for blood. Gilbert rubbed his head, blinking his eyes to try and refocus.

Willow stood in the middle of the camp, the boys separating, some trying to get to Gilbert, the other's trying to distract her. Multiple things happened at once: Matthew and Ludwig managed to get to Gilbert and pull him out of the way, Willow was surrounded by the boys, and then she threw her hands into the air creating thunder and lightning. No rain; it would wash away the blood. But the storm would create a thrilling taste of fear and adrenaline in their blood, and she wanted a good meal before returning to Arthur.

The boys didn't know what to do. Each of them kept gaining a new wound each moment, unsure where the next attack was coming from. Willow was fast, deadly and accurate. They fought back, but for how they long they didn't know.

_**Translations:**_

- Das kann nicht gut sein:- This can't be good (German)

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: And the battle begins! I have everything planned out, but it's still bloody difficult to form the words! Oh well! I still got the chapter finished! For some reason listening to **_Science and Faith _**by **_The Script_** helped me write the chapter. I have no clue why, I just left it on repeat and BAM! Birth of a chapter!**_

_**Alfred: You make it sound so… weird…**_

_**Me: That's 'cos I'm a weird girl. Review, fave, alert… You guys know what to do! ;] **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

Words couldn't describe how Alfred was feeling at that moment. How could they? It had started out as such a lovely day; he'd given Arthur his present, to which he'd received a very surprising hug, they had all been laughing and joking at dinner, and the camping and exploring had started out fun and exciting. Now there he was, following the ghost of one of Arthur's murdered relatives (who looked exactly like Arthur himself) to a place where his best friend was being bled to death. Francis was still missing, there was no sign of Hari (though he was starting to think after Antonio seeing Lovino dead, it wasn't Hari), and the group was probably being hunted by the witch.

All in all a delightful evening!

Not.

Alfred was slowly beginning to realise just where he was being led, and he gulped. This was turning into an even greater nightmare. Hands shaking, Alfred followed Raymond out onto a clearing, seeing the river flowing through calmly, and the entrance to the tunnel just a climb away. Raymond climbed down first, waiting for Alfred to climb down too. Afterwards, Raymond entered the tunnel and walked into the room. Alfred gulped again, entering the tunnel after him. The inside was damp, water from the river flowing through. After a moment, Alfred entered the room too, taking a good look around. It was flooded by the river, but there were evident stains of blood still lingering on the walls. Finally, Alfred's eyes landed on the heartbreaking sight in the corner of the room. Raymond was stood silent, a worried expression on his face as he looked down at a red-headed man Alfred could only assume was Alexander. But that wasn't the heartbreaking part. Alfred moved forwards to get a better look at the scene. Alexander was holding onto a shivering Arthur. He had blood staining the skin around his mouth and chin, the blood dripping onto his soaked clothes. The green shirt was now largely stained with more blood and his breathing was weak and out of rhythm. He seemed to be fighting to keep his eyes open, so Alfred moved forwards more, kneeling down next to them.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur asked weakly.

"Yeah, it's me," Alfred replied, putting a hand on Arthur shoulder. He looked between Raymond and Alexander, both of which were smiling slightly. "What do we do?"

"We can do no more," Alexander said. "But, it seems that Willow has began her attack."

"How do you know that?" Alfred asked.

"We're ghosts, she's a ghost," Raymond said. "It kind of goes without saying that we know what's going on."

"You're speaking to ghosts and aren't afraid," Arthur whispered, his voice not able to gain anymore volume.

Alfred turned to him, smiling. "Well, desperate times, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

Turning back to the ghosts, Alfred went to ask how to stop Willow, but was cut off by the look on Raymond's face. It was one of strong concentration. Alfred was used to the look, having seen it on Arthur's face for 10 years, but it this case it was a very bad sign.

"What's wrong?"

"We have to go," Raymond said.

"What?"

"Arthur knows how to stop Willow," Alexander said, shifting so that Alfred could get a hold of Arthur. "Just try and keep him awake."

"Why are you going?" Alfred asked, picking his friend up and holding him against him.

"We'll be watching," Raymond smiled. "Just keep him awake, and don't give up."

"Willow is tough, she knows very powerful magic," Alexander said. "But she is easily distracted. You can use that to your advantage."

Before Alfred could give any reply, the pair vanished leaving Alfred holding a semi-conscious Arthur in a flooded room at the end of a tunnel. Alfred looked down at his poor friend, feeling his blood soaking into his clothing. Arthur's eyes were closing, so he gave him a little shake making him face him.

"C'mon, Arthur," Alfred said, his voice breaking a little. "Please, you gotta stay awake for me."

Arthur's eyes opened a little more, and he kept his face pointed towards Alfred's. "I'll try." He gave him a small smile before resting his face against the nape of Alfred's neck. Alfred blushed a little, but mentally kicked himself.

_Dude, this is _so_ not the time_, he internally scolded.

Taking a deep breath, Alfred turned back towards the tunnel, leaving the room behind them and going back out into the woods.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Walking back to the campsite had been more difficult than walking away from it. Earlier, manoeuvring through the trees was easy. But now he was trying to keep Arthur awake, off the ground, and not hit him against anything. Alfred could sense they were getting closer to the campsite though. It wasn't a feeling like "home is just round the corner". No, he could he the cries of pain and fear echoing from his friends, and the cackle of the woman attacking them.

"Alfred," Arthur mumbled against his neck.

"Yeah, Arthur?"

"Be careful," he said before adding near silently, "I don't want you to get hurt too."

Alfred blinked, stopping near the edge of the forest. He looked up at their friends trying to fight this strange woman, then down at Arthur.

"I'll try, Arthur," he said. "I can't promise anything though."

Arthur sniffed, his face remaining hidden against Alfred's neck. Alfred had to fight the urge to kiss the top of his head, so moved out of the trees. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't leave Arthur in this condition, but his friends needed him up there.

Oh what was a hero to do!

He jumped when he spotted something moving nearby. Moving towards it, Alfred had a look and saw Kiku running through the trees.

"Kiku!" Alfred called, loud enough for the Japanese boy to hear and no one on the hill.

Kiku jumped and rushed towards Alfred and Arthur, his expression terrified. He had cuts all over him, and blood flowing slightly from a wound on his left arm.

"Alfred!" he cried. "You found him! You're both okay!"

"Barely," Arthur mumbled.

Kiku then spotted how badly Arthur was bleeding and how close to unconsciousness he was. He also saw the torn and tired expression on Alfred's face.

"Kiku," Alfred finally said. "You need to run and get help. She is the one that's been doing all the damage, you'll be safe running away to get help."

"But what about the others?"

"We'll all be fine," Alfred said firmly. "Now go! We are defiantly going to need an ambulance!"

Kiku nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Kiku had never ran as fast in his life. He promised that he would bring back help, and he intended to keep it. He ached all over from the attack, his arm still bleeding slightly. He wasn't complaining though. From what he had seen, he had gotten off lighter than Arthur had. The boy looked close to death, by the looks of it! No, no he wasn't going to think like that. They would all be okay, no one was going to die! He sped through the trees, easily ducking and dodging trunks, roots and branches. Finally, he saw the gates so ran towards the clearing of trees for the path. However, his foot caught on something, sending Kiku barrel-rolling out of the trees. Raising a hand to his head, he felt a fresh graze on his temple.

"Damn," he muttered.

He got up and walked back to the trees to try and see what it had been that had tripped him up. What he saw made him recoil and fall backwards.

Francis.

He was pale, his clothes and the surrounding grass splattered with blood. Getting a stick, Kiku poked him gently trying to flip him over. When he did he found Francis' chest had completely collapsed, bone sticking out in odd angles, and a large hole where his heart should have been. Kiku's breath deepened, trying to keep himself calm. So, this was why they couldn't find him earlier.

"Oh, Francis," he whispered. Then he noticed a lump near his pocket. Kiku shook his head.

_Please that be a mobile phone and not something else_, he thought. Tentatively, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out what was creating the lump.

"Yes!" he smiled; it was a mobile!

Now to call an ambulance.

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Only a few more chapters remaining! So, coming to a computer screen near you soon, will the boys be able to trap Willow before it's too late? Will the ambulance arrive on time? What's going to happen to Arthur? All these questions will be answered and more next chapter!**_

_**Alfred: Cool! You sounded so Hollywood!**_

_**Arthur: I'm surrounded by morons.**_

_**Me: Love you too, Arthur! You guys know the drill: review, fave, alert and all that jazz! **_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

After watching Kiku leave, Alfred turned his attention back to Arthur. The British boy was still resting against his neck, but his breathing had gotten fainter. This freaked Alfred out; he shifted Arthur's head so that he could see his face. This time his eyes were closed, and he wasn't responding to the movement.

"Arthur," he said. "C'mon, man. Don't scare me, wake up!"

He tapped Arthur's face a little until the smaller boy groaned and opened his eyes a little. Alfred smiled slightly at him, thrilled that he managed to wake him, but his chest remained tight. If he was getting faint now then that couldn't be good. Distracted, Alfred didn't see Arthur try and move his hand to touch his cheek, but the British boy was so weak he could barely move. He simply nudged Alfred's neck with forehead, causing the American to look down with a slight dusting of pink over his face.

"Al…"

"What's up, Arthur?"

"Hu…"

"What?"

Arthur couldn't finish his sentence. Too much effort had gone into getting that first little sound out of his mouth. He merely began to breathe difficultly, trying to get as much air into his body as he could. This worried Alfred; he shifted Arthur's weight into a more comfortable position.

"Just keep breathing and try to stay awake, Arthur," he said. "I need to get us to the top of the hill."

Finally, he moved out of the cover of the trees and walked towards the hill. He was trying to form a plan as he walked; a plan that would save all of them and keep the witch trapped forever. However, to trap the witch they needed the information that was currently stuck inside Arthur's head. First, he needed to put Arthur somewhere where he couldn't get hurt anymore, but that he could help stop the witch. Then, they needed to trick the witch into whatever trap they came up with.

Simple, right?

They were nearing the top of the hill now. Arthur was surprisingly light in Alfred's arms, but Alfred didn't know whether that was because of the blood loss or if he was just naturally scrawny. On the way, Alfred spotted an area where he could hide Arthur and went to head there when he hurt a shout. He turned his glance to the top of the hill. Willow stood glaring at him, the flashes of lightning illuminating her pale features to an extent that made her a great deal more threatening.

"NO!" she screamed. "HE'S MINE!"

It was at that moment that Alfred realised that she was talking to him about Arthur. He saw his friends and brother stop and stare at them, wanting them to run. Matthew's face stood out amongst the group; he was covered in scratches, cuts and bruises, and he was shaking more than he usually did. Their eyes locked, a silent plan agreed in both their minds. Matthew edged round to Gilbert, who looked even worse for wear and whispered the plan. The Prussian looked to Alfred and Arthur, nodding in agreement. But that had only happened in a couple of seconds. The witch took aim at Alfred, rushing towards him. Alfred, as quickly and gently as he could, put Arthur on the ground just as he was tackled by Willow.

As Willow had began to run, Matthew and Gilbert hurried down after her, stopping when they got to Arthur. Gilbert took under his arms and Matthew took his feet, carrying the injured Brit to a safer place. Arthur was barely registering what was happening. Then he looked over Matthew's shoulder at Alfred being tackled, and he woke up a bit more.

"Al…" he whispered, barely loud enough to be heard.

"He's tough; he'll be fine!" Gilbert said. "We need to keep you awake and safe."

"Doesn't… need…"

"Huh?"

"She doesn't… need strength…"

Gilbert and Matthew looked at each other, and then finally looked over Arthur. Blood. Blood everywhere. On his face, on his clothes, on them now. Arthur was tough despite his misleading build. He easily took down Antonio in a fight, and Francis, and well… the list went on. So, this… This was a shock, to say the least. However, as they looked over his injuries, Arthur's eyes slipped closed because of the effort of speaking, his breathing getting weaker.

"What do we need to do-" Matthew started, but he stopped and started tapping Arthur on the face. "Arthur? Arthur! Wake up! Please wake up!"

Gilbert shook the unconscious Brit a little, waking him slightly.

"Nnnnngh…"

"He's back!"

Alfred couldn't help but get distracted. He kept hearing them trying to wake Arthur, to make sure he was alive. But that was very bad when you were wrestling with a demonic woman hell bent on drinking you dry and stealing your best friend's spirit for eternity.

Yeah, not good at all.

But, Alfred decided, this was exactly the kind of distraction the guys needed to get the information out of Arthur. As long as he didn't die before he could tell- As long as he didn't die, then everything would be a-okay! He ducked under Willow's arms as she lunged again, heading for the top of the hill. However, he had forgotten her magic. She turned; grey eyes stained with the crimson urge of blood, and pointed her hands at Alfred. The boy tripped at the top of the hill, his legs being held in an invisible vice. He struggled, managing to crawl backwards, but Willow was on him in an instant. She scratched across his chest, making long deep lines that oozed blood onto his torn shirt. Alfred cried out in pain, but it was yet to end. Shoving his arm upwards, he attempted to push Willow off of him. However, the witch held his arm, cleanly snapping the bone inside. Alfred's voice echoed across the forest, his friends all creeping round to get to Arthur, Matthew and Gilbert for the plan.

They reached the hidden trio just as Alfred's arm was snapped, all turning to look at their brave friend in pain.

"Ve~, what do we do? What do we do?" Feliciano cried.

"Shut up!" Lovino said, hitting his brother on the arm. "We need to think!"

"Arthur knows! Arthur knows how to stop the witch!" Antonio said, pointing to the partially conscious Brit. "Remember, he was writing a story based on the legend!"

"Yeah! Surely he'd know how to stop her!" Gilbert said, smiling up at Antonio.

Another yell of pain echoed across to them from the hill, and the group knew that they had to hurry. Alfred was lying flat on his back, Willow still on top of him, a large deep scratch on his cheek. Heracles stood and kept watch on the situation, ready to go to help if Alfred was in too much danger. The others began to tap on Arthur, holding him up slightly to try and wake him up. They propped him up against Feliciano, who had knelt next to Gilbert, Arthur head falling to the side on his shoulder. Feliciano looked down nervously at him, seriously scared he wasn't going to wake up. Lovino knelt next to them, tapping Arthur on the face. Arthur stirred a little, peaking slightly but had no energy in him to move much more.

"Arthur?" Matthew asked quietly.

"Hmmm…"

"We need your help," Ludwig said. "How do we trap the witch?"

"Hut," Arthur said simply, breathing weaker and his eyes dropping.

"Huh?"

"Lock… her…"

"Lock her in the hut!" Antonio said, instantly clicking onto what Arthur was trying to say. Arthur nodded weakly, letting his head droop onto Feliciano's shoulder. The Italian patted his head gently, trying to be comforting but also trying to keep him awake at the same time.

The group split again (Matthew, Lovino and Feliciano staying with Arthur, Gilbert, Antonio, Ludwig and Heracles going to help Alfred). The boys head up the hill along the woods silently. They watched as Alfred finally got Willow off of him, shoving her so she rolled slightly down the hill. He was covered in blood, clutching his broken arm to his chest. He spotted the others and looked up at them. Antonio motioned to the hut.

"Lead her inside!" he mouthed.

Alfred nodded, getting the plan into his head almost instantly. He turned and spotted Willow climbing back up the hill, now intent on killing Alfred before the others. She charged at him, and Alfred saw this as the perfect opportunity to lead her to her prison. He ran higher up the hill, sliding a little as he started the decline towards the hut. He didn't realise, however, that the hut was on a little patch of group a few metres lower than where the hill stopped. So, Alfred, not being able to stop, jumped down the few metres hitting the ground and rolling against the hut. He sat there in a daze for a moment, his good arm reaching up to rub his head. He could just see Gilbert and Ludwig on one side of him in the bushes ready to push Willow inside and lock her in, and Antonio and Heracles on the other side ready to pull him out of the way. Then Willow landed gracefully before him. He looked up at her, glaring. She looked him over for a moment, walking forwards.

It all happened in an instant.

All for boys rushed out, Antonio and Heracles dragging Alfred out of the way, while Gilbert opened the huts grate. Ludwig then grabbed the startled Willow and threw inside. Willow ran at them, trying to escape before the grate was shut, but Gilbert was too quick for her. He slammed the grate shut, Ludwig putting the pressure on it to keep it shut, and locked it. Willow screamed a loud high pitched screech, making the boys cover their ears, before finally disappearing forever.

The boys looked at each other, all breathing deeply. They smiled at their victory, climbing back up the hill. They were greeted, however, by a very distraught looking Lovino.

"GUYS!" he yelled, running towards them. "ARTHUR WON'T WAKE UP!"

They all felt their hearts skip a beat. In an instant, the six boys were running back down the hill towards where Arthur, Matthew and Feliciano were hidden. Alfred was by Arthur's side in seconds, looking between Feliciano, Matthew and his unconscious best friend.

"He's still breathing," Matthew said, shaking. "But just barely…"

"C'mon, Arthur," Alfred said, nodding to Matthew and patting Arthur on the face. "C'mon you promised me! You said you'd stay awake. Please, wake up!"

Arthur didn't stir though. No one knew what to do, but a noise sounding behind them and shouting made them all look around. Their parents, led by Kiku, were running up the hill all in search of their sons. Two ambulances parked along the pathway, red and blue flashing lights shining out into the night. They all ran out to their parents, Alfred and Matthew helping to move Arthur onto a stretcher. With their parents now in cars behind them, the boys were taken to the hospital. Alfred sat next to a paramedic in the back of the ambulance Arthur was being transported in. He was having his arm examined, but he couldn't help but watch the other paramedic dealing with Arthur. He was hooked up with so many wires and tubes it was scary. And Alfred broke down. He sobbed hard, all of the stress of that evening crashing down on him as they finally reached the hospital.

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: And so, the witch was defeated!**_

_**Alfred: Is he gunna be okay?**_

_**Me: Tell the lovely people to review and we'll find out next chapter.**_

_**Alfred: REVIEW, FAVE, ALERT! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!**_

_**Me: -hides in a corner with the laptop- **_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

The boys were all crowded by their worried parents as they sat in the waiting room. They were all sporting bandages and plasters for their various injuries, and one by one, they were taken home. Only Matthew, Mr Williams and Miss Jones, Peter, and Mr and Mrs Kirkland were left. The Williams-Jones' were waiting longer because Alfred needed stitches on the slashes against his cheek and chest, plus he needed to have surgery on his arm. They had been waiting for 10 hours. The Kirkland's were fairing much worse. Arthur also needed surgery, but to the stop the internal bleeding. He also needed a blood transfusion. The doctors hadn't returned yet, having taken Arthur away for surgery on arrival.

Matthew was sat on the floor trying to keep Peter entertained. It was a very difficult task as the nine year old was constantly near tears with worry over his brother.

All the boys had been questioned by the police about what had happened. However, they all lied saying it was just a random psycho who'd attacked their camp. Who would believe them if they told them the spirit of a witch had came to drink their blood to capture their friends soul for eternity? The police had left 5 hours ago.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

At 8 o'clock the next morning, a doctor walked over to the two families. They all looked up; worry creeping back to the forefront of their minds.

"Alfred's surgery was successful," the doctor said, addressing the Williams-Jones'. "He's asleep at the moment, and I've prescribed him some pain killers. However, when he wakes up, there is nothing stopping him from going home."

"That's fantastic!" Miss Jones smiled, but she calmed herself realising there was still news on Arthur to come.

"What about Arthur?" Mrs Kirkland asked.

"He'll have to stay in for a longer time. He lost a dangerous amount of blood, and it took 3 blood transfusions to keep him stable. Unfortunately, his condition is still critical as he still hasn't woken up. We'll be keeping a close eye on him, though. The boys are in the same room if you would like to see them."

"Thanks, Doctor," Mr Kirkland sighed, an arm around his sobbing wife's shoulders. Peter took hold of Matthew's hand, crying too. Matthew crouched back down and the boy hugged him tightly crying against his neck.

"Is he going to wake up, Matthew?"

"I hope so…"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Sunlight was pouring in through the windows in the room, the beam landing across Alfred's face. He groaned a little, using his newly cast arm to hide his face. He had had a horrible dream. They'd been attacked by the ghost of Willow Autumn and Arthur had almost died. He rubbed his cast arm across his face, confused by the weight. He pulled his arm away, opening his eyes only to find he couldn't see. He spotted his glasses on a table next to the bed and put them on. Hang on a minute, this wasn't his bedroom! Why was his arm in a cast? He looked around the room, taking in all the equipment and a steady _beep_ of a heart-rate monitor across the room. Looking towards the sound, Alfred's eyes widened. Arthur was laying, eyes closed, many wires and tubes sticking out of his body, in the opposite bed. He was bandaged around his bare torso, a small blood stain on them. He had a strange tube connected to his face and up his nose, but he was completely unresponsive. Void of life.

"Arthur?" Alfred croaked, wishing for some response from his friend. His only reply was the steady _beep_ from the heart-rate monitor. Sensing that he wasn't going to get a very good conversation going with Arthur, Alfred looked over his own injuries. He felt gauze and stitches on his cheek, and looked down at his own chest at the many bandages around him. He lifted his arm back into view, taking in the blue cast around it. He instantly knew he'd have fun getting it signed. But the one person he wanted to sign it most wasn't awake. He didn't whether he would _ever_ wake, and the thoughts terrified him.

What kind of hero was he if he couldn't save the one person out of his family he cared about the most? What hero survived a battle leaving someone else the victim?

Shit heroes. That's what kind.

The door of the room opened and Alfred looked round as a doctor walked in, leading his family and Arthur's family. In an instant, his mother was on him. She pulled him into a tight hug, keeping him close to her.

"Oh, Alfred, my little hero," she sobbed. "The other boys told us what happened!"

"Did you really find Arthur and get him out of danger?" Mrs Kirkland said, moving into Alfred's line of view. Alfred nodded, blushing a little. "Thank you."

"Thanks for saving my brother, Alfred!"

Alfred was blushing more than ever. He was no hero, why were they treating him like it? The Kirkland's then gathered around Arthur's bed, watching his chest slowly rise and fall. Alfred was suddenly engulfed in a large hug from his mother again. He patted her back, looking round at his father and brother. Mr Williams looked relived to see his son finally, and Matthew smiled at him brightly. Alfred took in the bandages and plasters on him, and sighed.

"What's up, Al?" Matthew asked.

"I'm no hero," he muttered.

"What?"

"You all treated me like some kind of hero when you came in," Alfred said, pulling away from his mother. "But, look! This is what happened because of my actions!" He motioned to himself and then to Arthur. Mrs Kirkland walked over to the boy and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Alfred," she said. "If you hadn't have acted the way you had, Arthur wouldn't be in this room. He'd be… He'd be in the morgue. So, you are a hero; you saved my son. And I'm sure he'd agree with me when he wakes up." She gave the boy a small smile, which he replied with his own and a shaky nod. She then walked away after patting his shoulder, sitting next to Arthur's bed. Alfred watched them for a moment, then looked back at his own family. His mother was sat on the bed, smiling softly at him. His father had taken a seat next to the bed, and Matthew was sat on the foot of the bed on the opposite side as their mother.

"You surprise me sometimes, you know?" Matthew said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alfred asked.

"Well, for years you've always claimed to be a hero, and now you have actually saved someone's life you're saying you're not one!"

Alfred blinked. A few moments passed before he smiled at his brother. He was being stupid, he knew that. But, Arthur was in a coma for Christ's sake! He had a broken arm and stitches, but Arthur was unconscious!

"The doctor said that you could go home whenever you want, Al," Mr Williams said. "He's given us the pain killers you'll need, so just say when and we'll let you get dressed and check you out."

"You make it sound like a motel!"

"A motel for the sick and injured," Matt smirked.

Alfred laughed a little, pleased that they were trying to make him feel better. But, he couldn't leave. Arthur might wake up alone and scared, and Alfred didn't want to cause his friend anymore pain than he had already suffered.

"I feel sorry for Francis' family," Alfred finally sighed, not answering his father.

"Yeah, it was heartbreaking seeing his parents and little sisters come in…" Matthew said.

"How were Monica and Rochelle doing?" Alfred asked.

"They were upset, to say the least. Monica was most devastated; she really relied on Francis."

"Yeah…"

Silence settled amongst them, the only real noise being breathing and beeping. It was unnerving. Alfred ran his hand up and down his cast. His arm was starting to ache a little, but just couldn't be bothered to say anything. What was the point? He would just have a tablet, then feel better, then need another one 6 hours later.

"You ready to leave, son?" Miss Jones said, placing her hand on top of Alfred's. The boy looked up at her and sighed. "You can't stay here forever, Al. One, they need the beds. Two, you can visit Arthur any time you want." She looked over at the Kirkland's who nodded in agreement.

"Arthur needs a friend right now," Mr Kirkland said. "And who better than his best friend."

Alfred smiled lightly at this, nodding to his mother.

"Okay, but can I have some painkillers before we go? My arm's starting to hurt."

"Of course," Miss Jones smiled, pulling the pot from her bag. She got Alfred a glass of water, and he took his tablets whilst Mr Williams went to check him out with the nurse at reception. They pulled the curtain over a little to give him some privacy, and Alfred got changed. Finally, he took one final look at the Kirkland's, smiled and said goodbye.

"I'll visit tomorrow after school, if that's okay?"

"You can visit in the morning if you'd like," Mrs Kirkland smiled.

"Huh?"

"All you boys have been given a weeks compassionate leave, Arthur 2 weeks," Mr Williams explained.

"Oh, cool!"

"Yeah, no more Mrs Fine for a week!" Matthew smirked.

"See you tomorrow, Arthur," Alfred said, before leaving for home.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Sunday flew by in a haze, Miss Jones flickering the TV off at 6:30pm when the news came on with the main headline being about the attacks on the boys. So, when Monday came, Alfred was a little downtrodden. His father dropped him off at the hospital, and he walked into Arthur's room. His parents looked like they hadn't left, so when Alfred knocked and entered they quickly tried to make themselves seem more okay than they really were.

"Good morning," Alfred said politely.

"Morning, Alfred," Mrs Kirkland smiled.

"Good morning, Al," Mr Kirkland said.

Alfred walked towards the bed, seeing that Arthur looked exactly the same as he had the day before.

"Has he woken up yet?"

"No…" Mrs Kirkland whispered sadly, rubbing her son's cheek.

"You two look like you haven't slept," Alfred observed.

"To be honest, we haven't," Mr Kirkland said. "I stayed over night with him."

"And I went home with Peter."

"It's just hard…"

"Well, I'll be here for a while, so if you two wanna go home and rest, I'll be happy to stay with him for a while."

Arthur's parent's looked at each other, then at Alfred.

"We couldn't do-"

"Arthur wouldn't want you to put your health at risk too," Alfred said.

"You're a good kid, Alfred," Mr Kirkland smiled, patting Alfred's shoulder.

With one final glance at Arthur, they left the room leaving the two teens alone. Alfred sat down next to Arthur's bed, looking his friend up and down.

"You know, Arthur," he started. "You would always call me a 'lazy Yank' whenever I slept in this long. You really should try and wake up sometime." He paused and smiled. "You remember that time, ages ago, when we were like 9 and I stopped talking to you for a little while? It was only 'cos I wanted to make more friends. We were okay though after a week, but I know I upset you. Then that time when Ludwig started to beat you up for some still unknown reason… Again, we're all friends now, but I remember getting detention for a month for beating the crap out of him… You've been there for me too. I guess we've always had each other's back, and hopefully always will. I never said this to you before, but… You were the first true friend I had ever made. Even back in America, I never had a real friend before I met you. That's why I want you to wake up, Arthur. I miss you. I miss hearing you tell me off for my bad grammar. I miss you randomly hitting someone. I miss you stealing one of my headphones. It's just all the little things I never noticed before that made the day a little bit brighter, they all came from you and I want those back. I want you to wake up Arthur! This whole damn experience has finally opened my eyes to something. Something I didn't quite understand until recently. I have no clue how you'll react…" He paused again, taking a deep breath. "I don't know if you can hear me at all, or if I'm just rambling into space but… I want you to know… I-I love you… You're sharp-tongued, cynical, and often very pessimistic… But, you're smart, and funny… You make me smile when no one else can and you always have that spark of inspiration in your eyes. I love watching you write, seeing all the different expressions as you come up with an idea you like or dislike. I've learnt a lot about how I've been feeling lately… Like in PE when Francis was teasing you about the shuttlecock, I was a little jealous about how you two were acting… And all the time I was holding you in the woods my heart felt like it was going to burst. So, please, wake up. Wake up. I don't care if I have to say all this again later. I don't care if you reject me and just want to stay friends. All I care is that you wake up. That you're happy and healthy and…" He placed his hand on Arthur's. "I love you. Always have, always will." He gave Arthur's hand a squeeze, not noticing the _beeping_ of the heart-rate monitor speed up a little. Alfred found that now he couldn't speak anymore. So, he just sat in silence and waited for Arthur's parents to return.

When they did, he smiled at them. He explained that he hadn't woken up, and he'd be back the next day. It was dark outside, and Alfred had to wait for his father outside, so Mr and Mrs Kirkland waited outside with him. But, before they all left the room, Alfred turned around and smiled at Arthur.

"Bye, Arthur," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay."

He left.

But, just as the door clicked, Arthur mumbled, "Alfred…"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Alfred kept his promise and returned the next day. They made the same agreement as yesterday, and Alfred watched as the worried British parents walked out of the room for some more well-needed rest. Alfred sighed and turned to watch Arthur. He seemed a little brighter today, so just maybe he'd wake up today. Alfred sat forwards in the seat, resting his head on the bed to watch Arthur.

"I'm starting to think you're trying to avoid me, Arthur," Alfred joked, then he sighed. "I've never heard you this quiet before. I don't like it. It doesn't suit you. You need to be talking, shouting, singing when you think no one can hear you!" Alfred sighed again, his eyes closing.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew something was smoothing his hair. He thought it might have been Mrs Kirkland being the kind woman she was, but when he opened his eyes he was met with the emerald gaze he'd waiting so desperately to see.

"Arthur?"

"H-hey, Alfred," Arthur replied in a quiet voice.

"Oh, man, you had us scared!"

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Dude, it wasn't your fault!" Alfred was smiling widely, euphoria settling into his system. "I am so happy to see you awake!"

"It's nice to be awake," Arthur smiled. "How long have I been out?"

"About 3 days."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"I…"

"What?"

Arthur blushed. "I heard what you were saying to me yesterday."

"H-how?"

"Coma patients have been known to hear the conversations of the world around them."

"Oh."

"Just so you know, I feel the same."

Things remained silent for a moment, a deeper blush settling on Arthur's pale face.

"You…"

"I-I love you too. I have for a while, actually."

"Since when?"

"A while, but I started figuring it out a little before Halloween."

Alfred smiled, his happiness growing. Arthur loved him too! SCORE! Things were a little awkward for a moment, so Alfred tried to twist the subject around slightly.

"So, how are you going to end that story you were writing?"

"Uh…" Arthur was taken off guard with that question. "I have no idea. I may not even continue it now considering everything that's happened."

"Well, I have an idea on how you can finish it," Alfred said.

"And how's that?"

Alfred got up from the chair, one knee on the bed.

"Like this."

He cupped Arthur's face and captured his lips with his own. Arthur's eyes widen for a moment, before slipping shut and a light blush dusting his cheeks. Alfred pulled away, a heavy blush on his own face.

"Uh…"

The boys remained silent for a moment, before Arthur pulled Alfred back against his lips in a deeper kiss. Their lips moved rhythmically against each other. After a few moments, they pulled away in need of air. Both were blushing deeper, but large smiles spread across their faces.

"I agree with you," Arthur smiled, Alfred resting his forehead against his. "That is a very good way to end a story."

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: Yay, he woke up!**_

_**Alfred: -blushing- A whole page confession! Seriously?**_

_**Arthur: -blushing too- It was sweet though…**_

_**Alfred: -blushed redder than one of Toni's tomatoes-**_

_**Me: Before the tears come, no this is not the final chapter, the "end of the story" line was just something relating to Arthur's story not this one. -smiles- So, historical stuff in the speech, and my not-so-creative moment for giving Francis siblings. Monica and Rochelle = Monaco and Seychelles. Yeah. I'm sorry. Anyways, review, fave, alert like usual! Thanks for reading so far! **_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Bump in the Night**_

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

Arthur was allowed home on the following Thursday. He was still a little faint, so remained in bed most of the time. This didn't stop Alfred from coming round though. On the Thursday afternoon Alfred was told Arthur was home, he went up to his boyfriend's (he still felt giddy about that word) bedroom to see him sat up in bed writing in the notebook he'd got him. They smiled at each other, Alfred closing the door and sitting at the foot of the bed facing him.

"It survived!" he observed, pointing to the notebook.

"Yes, it did, thank God," Arthur smiled in reply. "It was my favourite gift."

Alfred's smile grew brighter and he shifted up the bed to capture Arthur's lips in a tender kiss. Arthur kissed him back, his hand resting against Alfred's neck. They broke apart, smiling and chuckling softly, forehead's resting together. Arthur kissed him quickly once more, pulling back and leaning against the headboard of his bed.

"I'm light-headed enough as it is!" he laughed.

"Aw, I make you feel light-headed?"

"You make me feel many things, Alfred."

Alfred smirked, kissing him as Arthur had done him.

"You're not funny."

"Was I trying to be funny?"

"Git."

"Love you too!"

They continued to talk for a little while longer. Alfred had been filling Arthur in on everything that had happened, and how the others were doing. Arthur listened, still feeling guilty about everything. It had been his idea to go into the forest that night and that idea had got all of them hurt and got Francis killed. Alfred saw the sadness in Arthur's eyes and sighed. He pulled Arthur against him, holding him tightly. Arthur hugged him back, hiding his face against his neck.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"You have nothing to feel sorry for!"

"It's my fault everyone got hurt… that Francis…"

"No," Alfred said, cutting him off. "It is not your fault. No one thought that the story would come true. No one could have been prepared for what happened!"

"But-"

"No, Arthur. It was not your fault. If anything you saved us. If told us how to stop her. If you hadn't have known how to trap and destroy her, then we all would be dead and…"

"And I'd be trapped as she was."

"Yeah, that…"

Arthur looked up at Alfred. "You were pretty heroic too."

"Nah, I'm just an idiot who distracted her."

"You came and found me, you kept me awake when all I wanted to do was sleep, you led her to the hut, you got slashed and broken to save us all."

"It didn't feel like I'd saved anyone."

"You were brave and did what you could to protect us."

"I'm no hero."

"Alfred, a hero can only be a hero when they have someone in need of protecting. On that night, you were my hero."

This caught Alfred off guard. Arthur had always joked around with his hero obsession. But at that moment he looked completely serious. He stared straight into Alfred's eyes as if daring him to argue. Alfred couldn't though, all words lost in his throat. He hugged Arthur again, smiling as Arthur's arms wrapped around his own frame.

"Thanks, Arthur," he whispered.

"No; thank you, Alfred."

"Hey! This reminds me!" Alfred smiled, pulling away from Arthur. He got a marker pen from his pocket, holding it out for Arthur to take. "I wanted you to be the first to sign my cast."

Arthur blushed, taking the pen. He lightly took Alfred's hand, smiling as the boy's fingers gripped around his own. Slowly and carefully, he wrote on the cast. Alfred took a look when he'd finished, smiling brightly at the simple yet loving message:

_My hero_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Alfred returned to school on Monday, but it felt empty without Arthur, so always looked forward to going round his house after school let out. It became routine for him now, and he relished the early end on Tuesday, rushing round to spend longer with him. He was most looking forward for that week to end, as Arthur was allowed to go back to school.

When Monday finally came, Mr Kirkland drove Arthur to the school; walking into the reception with him to explain everything that had happened and anything that needed to happen if Arthur wasn't feeling right. Arthur sighed and looked down the concourse. There were lots of people crowded around trying to get a look at him.

"He's the one that nearly died, right?"

"…he was in a coma…"

"…lots of blood…"

"…apparently…"

Arthur shook his head, trying to ignore the gossiping students. But that was easier said than done. Mr Kirkland patted his son on the shoulder and left, leaving the British boy to wander along the corridors alone feeling the stares of many eyes piercing his back. He knew that he had English first lesson, so walked along the corridors until he reached the stairwell for the English and Foreign Language department. He took each stair slowly, trying to push the light-headedness away. He finally reached his classroom on the top floor and entered. His teacher, Miss Wilson, looked up from her laptop and smiled at him.

"Welcome back, Arthur!"

"Thanks, Miss."

"How're you feeling?"

"Truthfully, a little light-headed, but I doubt that can be helped."

"Just relax. We'll be taking it easy this lesson, just reading and analysing a poem."

"Okay."

Arthur walked over to his seat, putting his book and anthology on the table. He rest his head against the wall, talking to Miss Wilson about what they had been doing whilst he'd been absent. Apparently he hadn't missed much. It was at 8:20am that the others walked into the room, all rushing over to Arthur, who tried to make himself as small as possible in case they couldn't stop. He took in all of their appearances. Bandages still in place, stitches on some people and bruises. After much laughter and talking, they all dispersed to their own seats letting the person Arthur wanted to see most sit down. Alfred kissed him on the cheek, forgetting their friends were there, who, of course, wolf-whistled them.

"Get a room, you two!" Gilbert laughed.

"Uh, we kinda have," Alfred retorted, motioning to the classroom. "Not our fault you lot are in here too!"

Arthur was blushing like crazy, but smiled as Alfred gave his hand a quick squeeze under the table.

Half an hour into the lesson, (after lesson objectives were discussed, notes were written and people stopped talking) Miss Wilson sat on a desk at the front of the room, her feet on the chair and opened her anthology.

"Okay, class," she smiled. "Now that we've gotten over the excitement of having Arthur back-" there was a pause as most of the class cheered, making Arthur blush and look down at the table "-yes, as I was saying, we'll just be analysing a poem from the 'psycho' genre."

"Oooooooh!" Antonio said, causing the class to laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you're all in a good mood because the poem we'll be studying today is _Salome_ by Carol Anne Duffy."

"Salami? Isn't that on pizza?" Gilbert asked.

"She said _Salome_ not salami, you dunce," Lovino said.

"Fuck you!"

"Language, Gilbert."

"Sorry Miss."

The class opened their anthologies and looked up the poem in question. However, for the group who'd been attacked, the world stood still for a moment when they realised what the poem was about:

_Never again!_

_I needed to clean up my act,_

_get fitter,_

_cut out the booze and the fags and the sex._

_Yes. And as for the latter,_

_it was time to turf out the blighter,_

_the beater or biter,_

_who'd come like a lamb to the slaughter_

_to Salome's bed._

_In tile mirror, I saw my eyes glitter._

_I flung back the sticky red sheets,_

_and there, like I said -and ain't life a bitch -_

_was his head on a platter._

Arthur looked sideways at Alfred, who nodded and turned to Miss Wilson.

"Uh, Miss," he asked. "Can we not do this poem?"

"Why not?" she started to asked, but then she realised everything. "Oh, boys," she said, looking around at each of the victims. "I am sorry. We won't do this poem."

"Thanks, Miss."

"Sorry, class. We'll save _Salome_ for a later date. Instead, he'll go over _Kid_ by Simon Armitage."

They turned the pages until they found the poem, and Alfred instantly perked up:

_Batman, big shot, when you gave the order_

_to grow up, then let me loose to wander_

_leeward, freely through the wild blue yonder_

_as you liked to say, or ditched me, rather,_

_in the gutter ... well, I turned the corner._

"Batman and Robin!"

"Of course…"

"What's wrong with Batman and Robin?"

"If you read it, it's Robin telling Batman off for making him leave and grow up."

"Oh. Still cool though."

The banter continued on the poem as they analysed, and for once, Alfred seemed to enjoy poetry. He was smiling, laughing, answering questions.

"It's a heroes monologue!" he smiled brightly.

Arthur rolled his eyes, just watching his boyfriend's excitement; it was kind of contagious, if he was honest. Near the end of the lesson, the boys were all stood together talking and waiting for the bell to ring. Arthur was staring at the sky out of the window. It was a bright, clear day. Cold. Almost perfect weather for that time of year. Then, a thought popped into his head.

"We never did get to see the fireworks, did we?" he mused allowed.

"No we didn't did we?" Alfred said.

"Oh well…" Arthur sighed, looking at his school shoes.

If they were in a comic, Alfred would have had a light bulb over his head at that moment. Arthur didn't notice as he looked around and smiled at each of their friends, the plan now forming in their minds too.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

"Alfred!"

"What?"

"Why are you dragging me to the school at seven at night!"

Alfred didn't answer, merely holding Arthur's hand with his left hand, walking them through the streets towards the school. It was the first of December, and the boys (unknown by Arthur) had been planning a special event with the teachers and governors. Arthur used his other hand to tighten his red scarf around his neck, and pull his coat tighter around his body. It was freezing! Why was the idiot dragging him around in this weather? Finally, they reach the school and Arthur's eyes widened as he spot many, many people entering and walking to the school sports field.

"Alfred?"

Alfred looked at Arthur's confused expression and smiled softly. "All will become clear soon, okay?"

"O-okay…"

Fences were put up around a large area of the field. There were crates in the middle, containing something that Arthur couldn't even venture a guess to. People were crowding close to the fences to get a better look, and Arthur could see all of his friends (in pairs) walking around to get better spots to watch. Alfred took them to the very back, sitting them on the stone steps that led up to the field from the playground. After a few minutes, the voice of their headteacher, Mr Vargas (Feliciano and Lovino's grandfather), came ringing out of various speakers on the field.

"Thank you for coming to support a very special event," he said. "As many of you are aware a very tragic event happened recently: whilst camping in the public gardens, a group of our students, including my own grandsons, were viciously attacked. One of them was unfortunate to lose their life in the attack. This evening is to commemorate that student, Mr Francis Bonnefoy, and the bravery of the surviving students: Alfred Jones, Antonio Fernández Carriedo, Arthur Kirkland, Kiku Honda, Feliciano and Lovino Vargas, Gilbert and Ludwig Beilschmidt, Heracles Karpusi, and Matthew Williams."

A round of applause sounded across the field, and Arthur blushed furiously red in the darkness, hiding his face. Alfred looked round at him, putting his arm around his shoulders. Arthur turned and met his gaze, tears in his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Alfred asked.

"B-because of all this…"

"Don't you like it?"

"It's n-not that I don't l-like it…" Arthur said, voice shaking. "It's just… everything's changed and…"

"It's over whelming?"

"Yeah."

Alfred held him closer, kissing him on the cheek. Arthur blushed more, looking down again.

"We helped do all the organising on this with the staff," Alfred explained as people started to sort out the crates. "We wanted you to cheer up a little, and to give Francis his own eccentric send off."

"Huh? You… you guys planned this?"

Alfred nodded. "Don't be mad; we just wanted you to be happy again." He was surprised when arms wrapped around his neck, and Arthur pulled him into a tight hug, the tears still falling, but now with a happier meaning.

"You g-git! Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"It would have spoilt the surprise!"

"What're they doing?"

"Wait for it…"

They turned around as a high-pitched whistle sounded, and rockets shot into the sky sending scatterings of sparks and stars across the sky. Arthur's eyes widened and his mouth hung open in happy surprise. Reds, whites, blues, greens, yellows… the colours were endless and beautiful.

"You did say we didn't get to see the fireworks," Alfred smiled.

Arthur couldn't quite find the words to express how he was feeling, so he turned Alfred's head round to face him and kissed him deeply. Alfred returned the kiss eagerly, his hand resting against Arthur's hip. Arthur pulled away after a moment, and smiled.

"Thank you, you git," he laughed, leaning against Alfred and resting his head on his shoulder. Alfred put his arm around his waist and held him against him.

"Anything for you," he smiled. "So, do you think it really is over?"

Arthur thought about it for a second, spotting something from the corners of his eyes. Raymond and Alexander were stood amongst the trees near them, hidden from sight of everyone else. They smiled at him, and faded away.

"Yes, Alfred," he finally said, looking up at the fireworks. "It is most definitely over, and you know what?"

"What?"

"I don't ever want this night to end."

Alfred smiled, and lifted his face to kiss him once more. Arthur kissed him back, finally leaving it all behind him.

_**Notes:**_

_**Me: THE END!**_

_**Alfred: -clapping- Yay! Arthur's so cute!**_

_**Arthur: I. Am. Not. Cute.**_

_**Me: -laughing- Thank you guys so much for reading! Continue to review and favourite, because they are soul food and make me want to write the other stories that I have buzzing around in my noggin! I'd have added some smut, but seeing as I'd aged Alfred 15 I'm not about to encourage underage sex. What? If you guys want it, review and tell me and I'll post on omake separate to the story set on the 4th**__** of July. Birthday sex~! *is totally going to hell for this* **_


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